Around 260,000 people live in Luton in Bedfordshire, making it about the same size as Brighton, Slough, Bournemouth and Oxford. It’s just 30 miles north-northwest of London, and offers excellent transport links across the UK. London Luton airport is one of England’s major hubs for air travel and there’s a university in the town. And the famous Luton Carnival is the biggest one-day carnival in Europe. Let’s take a look at three reasons to buy property in Luton.
One, it’s really close to the capital. Wherever you work in London, whether it’s north of the Thames or south of the river, a combination of Luton’s excellent commuter transport links and the fact that the city itself is so easy to travel across makes it a great place to live.
The Thames link service operates a train from Luton to London St Pancras International every twenty minutes, perfect for commuters. It takes just 36 minutes. You can hop on an East Midlands Railway service every hour. And there’s an Arriva UK bus between the Luton Station Interchange to London Victoria Green Line Coach Station every half an hour. The car journey takes around an hour and ten minutes.
The dramatic redevelopment of Luton town centre has brought positive changes to the town’s look and feel. This has attracted more businesses than ever before. Great restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs join a list of entertainment, events and nightlife to make it a fun destination for young people to set up home. As well as Luton Carnival there’s Luton Pride to enjoy in June, and the town’s multicultural population keeps things interesting.
It’s entirely possible to live in Luton and enjoy brilliant nights out in London, since the last train from London to Luton leaves at 2:24 in the morning. Attractions in the town itself include Stockwood Discovery Centre, Wrest Park historic house and gardens, Wardown House Museum and Gallery, the Grosvenor Casino, and The Mall for excellent shopping.
Luton property prices, of course, are a lot lower in Luton than they are in the capital, and that alone is an excellent reason to buy property in Luton. In 2021 properties in Luton sold for an overall average price of £297,251. Semi-detached properties went for an average of £309,031, terraced homes for an average of £257,860, and detached properties fetching on average £441,204. These prices were 3% up compared to 2020 and 14% higher than 2019.
At the same time consumer prices in Luton are 20.45% lower than in London, restaurant prices in Luton are 32.33% lower than the city, and groceries cost 11.29% less in Luton than in London. Childcare costs less, it’s less expensive to get involved in sports and leisure, and taxi fares are a lot lower in Luton as well. Last but not least. The rates of air pollution in Luton are lower than London, which means it’s better for your health. According to The World Health Organisation Luton’s air pollution is classified as ‘low’.
