Bluewater Quay, Wixams, Bedford, MK42 6BF

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK42 6BF has a slightly higher male population, with 52.4% of residents being male. Several factors can contribute to this, including areas with industries or sectors that predominantly employ men, proximity to universities or technical schools with a higher enrollment of male students, presence of all-male or predominantly male institutions (military academies, boarding schools).

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	53%	47.6%	-5.4%	51.0%	-3.4%
Male	47%	52.4%	5.4%	49.0%	3.4%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	54.1%	39.3%	-14.8%	37.9%	1.4%
Married: Opposite sex	34.5%	47.6%	13.1%	44.2%	3.4%
Separated	2.6%	3%	0.4%	2.2%	0.8%
Divorced	7.9%	9%	1.1%	9.1%	-0.1%
Widowed	0.9%	1.1%	0.2%	6.1%	-5.0%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (89.4%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	62.8%	61.2%	-1.6%	48.4%	12.8%
Good health	30%	28.2%	-1.8%	33.6%	-5.4%
Fair health	6%	7.1%	1.1%	12.7%	-5.6%
Bad health	1.3%	2.9%	1.6%	4.0%	-1.1%
Very bad health	0%	0.5%	0.5%	1.2%	-0.7%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

In the area around MK42 6BF this area, 9% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	5.2%	9%	3.8%	18.2%	-9.2%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	21.4%	7.1%	-14.3%	9.6%	-2.5%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	19.7%	17.3%	-2.4%	13.4%	3.9%
Apprenticeship	0.9%	4.5%	3.6%	5.3%	-0.8%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	15.7%	16.9%	1.2%	16.9%	0.0%
Degree or Similar	32.8%	41.7%	8.9%	33.8%	7.9%
Other	4.4%	3.4%	-1.0%	2.8%	0.6%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 76.1% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	0%	0.3%	0.3%	1.1%	-0.8%
Indian	1.3%	6.9%	5.6%	3.1%	3.8%
Pakistani	2.8%	2.9%	0.1%	2.7%	0.2%
Other Asian	0.3%	3.7%	3.4%	1.6%	2.1%
Black African	2.5%	1.9%	-0.6%	2.5%	-0.6%
Black Caribbean	1.6%	1.9%	0.3%	1.0%	0.9%
Other Black	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%	0.0%
Mixed White and Asian	1.3%	0.3%	-1.0%	0.8%	-0.5%
Mixed White and African	0%	1.1%	1.1%	0.4%	0.7%
Mixed White and Caribbean	4.4%	2.7%	-1.7%	0.9%	1.8%
Mixed Other	0.6%	0.5%	-0.1%	0.8%	-0.3%
White	84.9%	76.1%	-8.8%	81.4%	-5.3%
Arab	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.6%	-0.6%
Other	0%	1.3%	1.3%	1.6%	-0.3%

Country of Birth

In this area, 81% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is similar to the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	91.5%	81%	-10.5%	83.2%	-2.2%
European Union	1.9%	7.7%	5.8%	6.1%	1.6%
Rest of Europe	2.2%	0.3%	-1.9%	0.8%	-0.5%
Africa	2.5%	2.6%	0.1%	2.7%	-0.1%
Middle East and Asia	1.3%	7.1%	5.8%	5.6%	1.5%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0%	1.1%	1.1%	1.3%	-0.2%
Oceania	0.6%	0.3%	-0.3%	0.3%	0.0%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	91.5%	81%	-10.5%	83.2%	-2.2%
10+ Years	0.6%	14%	13.4%	9.8%	4.2%
5-10 Years	0.9%	3.4%	2.5%	2.9%	0.5%
2-5 Years	0.6%	0.8%	0.2%	2.2%	-1.4%
Less than 2 years	6.3%	0.8%	-5.5%	1.9%	-1.1%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	84.3%	76.7%	7.6%
Ireland	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
France	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
Germany	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Poland	3.2%	1.3%	1.9%
Romania	1.9%	0.9%	1.0%
Other EU countries	0.5%	1.5%	-1.0%
Southern Asia	2.1%	1.2%	0.9%
South-East Asia	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
No passport held	6.9%	13.5%	-6.6%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	45%	37.2%	7.8%
Christian	41.8%	46.2%	-4.4%
Hindu	2.9%	1.7%	1.2%
Muslim	4.5%	6.5%	-2.0%
Sikh	2.1%	0.9%	1.2%
Not answered	3.7%	6.0%	-2.3%

Safety

Is Bluewater Quay Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Bluewater Quay was 89.7 per 1,000 residents, which is 42.0% lower than the Cauldwell average. The most reported crime type was Anti-social behaviour.

Bluewater Quay has the 39th lowest crime rate of 82 local areas in Cauldwell and the 163rd highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 22.9 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -26.9%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 80% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£55,000

Income Rank
8/10

Household Income in MK42 6BF, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 3/10 (low )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 8/10 (high )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 5/10 (average )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 2/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on Bluewater Quay are based on 45 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Bedford.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Bluewater Quay, Wixams, Bedford, MK42 6BF

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 6BF

Average Price
£329,394

Semi-Detached
£389,464

Terraced
£381,147

Detached
£392,296

Flats/Maisonettes
£210,795

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Bluewater Quay

Average Price
£340,638

Semi-Detached
£431,919

Terraced
£423,314

Detached
£411,212

Flats/Maisonettes
£218,761

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Bluewater QuayStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
5 Bluewater Quay, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£375,000	2026-02-06	£375,000
3 Bluewater Quay, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£356,000	2025-09-26	£350,890
1 Bluewater Quay, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£330,000	2024-09-18	£343,396
2 Bluewater Quay, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£412,000	2024-09-16	£427,004
22 Bluewater Quay, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£200,000	2022-08-18	£197,809

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 6BF

Employment

MK42 6BF area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 0% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	143
Part-Time Employee	36
Retired	27
Self-Employed	25
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	12
Student (economically inactive)	10
Looking after home or family	8
Other	5
Long-Term Sick or disabled	5
Unemployed	0

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	31
Human health and social work activities	23
Education	21
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	19
Construction	17
Manufacturing	15
Other	8
Professional, scientific and technical activities	8
Transport and storage	7
Financial and insurance activities	7
Information and communication	7
Administrative and support service activities	6
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	4
Real estate activities	4
Accommodation and food service activities	4

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	3,496 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	3,807 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Southway Nursery School Ampthill Road , MK42 9HE	- not rated	3,921 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Lakeview School School Lane , Off Brooklands Avenue MK42 6BH	3out of 4	601 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Lakeview School School Lane , Off Brooklands Avenue MK42 6BH	- not rated	601 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Wixams Tree Primary Academy Green Lane , Wixams MK42 6BA	3out of 4	946 yd	Free schools	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Willow Grove Primary School Fisherswood Road , MK45 3TE	- not rated	1,468 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Elstow School Abbey Fields , Elstow MK42 9GP	3out of 4	2,073 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Wixams Academy Green Lane , Wixams MK42 6BA	2out of 4	1,050 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	- not rated	2,738 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
John Bunyan School Mile Road , MK42 9TR	- not rated	2,905 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	2,923 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Academy Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	3,805 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Abbey Middle School Mowbray Road , MK42 9XA	- not rated	2,400 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Middle School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	- not rated	2,738 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Kingsbrook Middle School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	- not rated	3,406 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Harrowden Middle School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	- not rated	3,406 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Silver Jubilee Middle School Acacia Road , MK42 0HU	- not rated	3,734 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford College Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AH	- not rated	4,595 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Kimberley 16 - 19 Stem College Green Lane , Stewartby MK43 9LY	- not rated	5,323 yd	Free schools 16 to 19	No	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	- not rated	3,835 yd	Pupil referral unit	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	3out of 4	3,835 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Ridgeway School Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	3,839 yd	Community special school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Raleigh Education Centre Raleigh and Southway Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	3,921 yd	Pupil referral unit	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Grange School Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	- not rated	3,923 yd	Foundation special school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Bar & Bistro @ Wixams	Wixams Retirement Village, Bedford Road	214 yd
Lakeside Fish & Chip Shop	Unit 2, 147 Brooklands Avenue	637 yd
Seasons Restaurant	Seasons Garden Centre, Bedford Road	639 yd
Olive Catering Services & B&M	B&M Bargains, Zander Way	802 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Portu Gallo's Ltd	Unit 1, 147 Brooklands Avenue		637 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Co-Op (Southern Co-Op Ltd).	151 Brooklands Avenue		637 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Wixams 3G Green Lane	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches	699 yd
Wixams Tree Primary School WIXAMS TREE PRIMARY WIXAMS TREE PRIMARY GREEN LANE	grass pitches	949 yd
Wixams Academy WIXAMS ACADEMY WIXAMS ACADEMY GREEN LANE	grass pitches	1,052 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	81.8%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	72.7%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	72.7%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	55.4 Mbit/s
Average download speed	67.3 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	330 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	330 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	11.9 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	14.1 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	50 Mbit/s

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.