Our County
Bedfordshire covers an area of approximately 123,500 hectares and borders with Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire and is only 45 minutes from central London by train. It has a growing population currently estimated around 655,000.
One of England's smallest yet most diverse counties
More than half of Bedfordshire's residents live in its largest towns, Luton and Bedford, which have diverse and often transient communities, alongside smaller market towns and rural parishes. Challenges range from rural fire and road safety concerns to sleeping risks and high-rise building fire safety.
The area consists principally of rural landscape and incorporates a number of market towns, including Ampthill, Biggleswade, Woburn and Leighton Buzzard. Larger towns include Bedford, Luton and Dunstable. Luton, our largest town, has some of the most deprived wards in the Country and has many of the characteristics and challenges of a London borough including several high rise buildings.
In addition to our large and very diverse community we also have a number of special risks including London Luton Airport, along with a significant road network including the M1 and A1 motorways. Bedfordshire is growing as a national distribution hub and has a number of large industrial sites and warehouses. We have three rail networks in the County one of which is the busiest commuter rail link in the country running from Bedford south to London and beyond. Within our boundary we also have a significant stock of heritage buildings and environmental sites of special interest. Countywide rivers present us with special problems during spate flooding conditions.
