Luton guidebook

So popular was this catchphrase that enterprising band The Cats released their one and only hit, wittily titled "Luton Airport", which must have thrilled the town's residents.

Ladling salt on a still-festering wound, Luton was recently named as the 'crappiest town in Britain' by the book Crap Towns II (2004), apparently meriting this affront on account of its brutalist architecture, abundance of chain stores and lack of heart.

However, a book which positioned Edinburgh and Glasgow as joint fourth worst places to live is, frankly, questionable, so Lutonians shouldn't take their number one spot to heart.

If owning a home is a priority, Luton is well worth a look. Although it's only 25 minutes from London on a fast train, the town is actually one of the few places in the south where there's still plenty on offer under the stamp duty threshold of £125,000.

It's undoubtedly the prices that have drawn first-timer buyers; would-be owners priced out of London; and investors, all of whom know that in Luton your property pound will go an awful lot farther (you can buy a three bedroom terrace here with a garden for £130,000).

True, there's some unappealing 60s and 70s concrete to contend with - notably, the brooding Arndale Centre in the middle of town and the blandly utilitarian University of Luton's Park Square campus close by.

Luton, let's face it, is not the most beautiful of towns.

Last year the Government picked it as a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, awarding it a cool £3.3 million in recognition of its "outstanding work".

Thanks to the university, and to a diverse ethnic population, Luton is far from being a cultural wilderness. There are museums, theatres, cinemas, an annual carnival, and the annual Mela festival, which celebrates the music and culture of southern Asia.

Moreover, if you buy here now you will get to see the place improving - the process has already started and as it progresses it will undoubtedly boost property prices.

The main schemes are:

Plans include:

- A new-look square framed by mature trees and two distinctive granite terraces which will be illuminated by a 20 metre lighting column.

- A central area is planned for entertainment and street arts, festivals, markets and a café, and the whole thing is scheduled to be completed by October this year.

"Business as usual" proclaim the signs around the building works, although matinee theatre goers and library users may beg to differ as they struggle against the thunderous soundtrack of drills and diggers - still, all in a very good cause.

At the tail end of 2005, Luton Borough Council received a hefty windfall of £14 million from the East of England Development Agency for the creation and ownership of an Innovation and Business Base at Butterfield Park in the north of the town.

- This will provide 100 supported units and create 450 jobs, says the council, with facilities to include office space, meeting rooms, an e-commerce suite and in-house business support facilities.

- Butterfield Park itself will cover 80 acres of former brownfield land, and will include a hotel and business village, a park and ride area, a 32.6 acre space suitable for offices, research & development, technology and corporate headquarters, and a further 15.8 acres reserved for large space users.

- All in all, it is anticipated that the Park will create 8,500 jobs and give Luton a highly charged and much needed business boost. Construction work has already begun and the Business Village is expected to be finished by early 2007.

But with the Arndale Centre far and away the biggest occupier, most of Luton's property is outside of the town centre, which means across Stuart Street for South Luton, and to the side of the train station away from the shops for North Luton.

It's worth noting that the centre itself lies in a natural dip which means there's a small incline to be tackled to reach residential parts but it's not a gradient that'll cause any problems.

The area to the left of Chapel Street is marked as New Town on the map but that, according to local agents, is an out-of-date moniker, and this district is now referred to simply as South Luton.

There are some high-rise flats around Bailey Street which are a bit of a blot on the horizon but a bit of nifty eye-squinting can obscure these in favour of the distant Chiltern Hills.

Most of the housing stock here comes in the shape of two and three bedroom Victorian terraces in neat little streets such as Tavistock and Hibbert, some of which have been converted into flats, obviously appealing to both first-time buyers and buy-to-let investors.

For more substantial Victorian houses, Cutenhoe Road and London Road have some fine examples, with several properties having five bedrooms; again, some of these larger homes have been split into flats.

Across Cutenhoe Road is the Capability Green Business Park, which accommodates various companies such as Ernst & Young and Siemens in mature landscaped grounds.

It's not the smartest or most fashionable area in terms of housing styles - council estates rarely are - but it's a good starting point on the property ladder and there's a choice of purpose-built flats, semis and terraces.

Farley Hill has several schools, some local shops in Market Square and a community centre, and is bordered to the west by the M1 which is good news for drivers.

Popping over Farley Hill road leads to Stockwood Country Park, an extensive grassy area with a golf course and pavilion, a transport and a garden museum, and facilities for various sports including football, horse-riding and athletics.

The estate, says the council, is home to a high proportion of unemployed and long-term sick, and as a result, it's not an area that features high on people's residential wish lists.

Aware of this, the government has declared Dallow a stamp duty free zone up to the value of £150,000, although local agents say this incentive hasn't resulted in a stampede of buyers.

Terraces and semis are the property mainstay in Dallow: a three bedroom example is currently on the market for £140,000 (haart)

Dallow Road itself has some reasonably attractive red brick terraces and semis, and over the Hatters Way Road, there are lots of little streets with uniform houses, such as Highfield and Durbar roads.

Two and three bed terraces, some converted into flats, are the most common property type in this part of town, and are a popular choice for both first-time buyers and buy-to-let investors.

However, there's also a good mix of old and new throughout High Town, from the not-yet-finished swish apartments in Milliner's Place, off Midland Road, to the modern purpose-built houses around Cross Street, and the large period detached homes in Old Bedford Road, one of the most sought-after streets in Luton.

Hitchin Road and New Bedford Road are also popular due to their older style semis and detached homes, and North Street and Ridgeway Road are favourite addresses with neat Victorian terraces and easy access to the small People's Park.

Winding Hightown Road runs through the middle of the High Town district and has a selection of small shops, some with an ethnic slant such as an Afro hairdresser, and plenty of takeaways and pubs.

Between Old and New Bedford roads is Wardown Park, which has the river Lea passing through it, and a museum and art gallery.

Lying on the west side of scenic Wardown Park, it includes streets such as Abigail Close, Blenehim Crescent and Bath Road, and house prices are usually among the most that you'd pay for a home in Luton although that's still considerably cheaper than most places in the south of England.

A five bedroom detached house in Montrose Avenue with a decent size back garden was recently on the market for £365,000.

Housing stock is mainly traditional semis and terraces - Turners Road South has some charming turn-of-the-century cottages - but you'll also find some smart bungalows (Saywell Road) and purpose-built flats and maisonettes (Colin Road and Birchen Grove).

The Highpoint development by Bramley Homes is situated on Sunset Drive and its beautiful detached modern homes are a sought-after family choice.

This is another district which is considered to be deprived with many of its residents being long-term unemployed, and so properties valued under £150,000 are exempt from stamp duty.

Biscot covers the area between New Bedford Road and Blundell and Bancroft Roads to the west and just beyond Austin Road in the north, excluding the small cluster of roads that make up Wardown.

Some streets are better than others in Biscot - for example, Solway Road South has plain terraces with rather shabby patches of grass in front, while those in Highbury Road have a brighter exteriors and appear much smarter.

Its northern boundary is Whitehorse Vale, its southern is Bradley Road along to Chaul End Road and it extends as far west as Poynters Way, beyond which is Dunstable. The M1 passes vertically through the district which is great for drivers if not quite so good for pedestrians.

It's an area which estate agents describe as mid to low range in pricing terms which makes it particularly appealing to first-time buyers and younger families.

Leagrave's housing estates date from post-war days and offer good value, basic homes, most of which are a mix of council and private tenants.

Notable exceptions are Limbury which was always a private estate; Barton Hills which is a much more recent development; and Marsh Farm, which still has a high proportion of social tenants, a somewhat dodgy reputation, and several imposing and rather off-putting tower blocks.

Most other housing comes in the form of terraces and semis ranging between one and three bedrooms, although it's also possible to find a four bed or an occasional five bed terraced house - these tend to be individual properties, though, and not clumped together in a particular street.

Some estates also have detached houses, maisonettes, flats and cluster homes, and there are some non-estate roads, such as Montrose Avenue.

Over to the eastern side of Leagrave is Icknield, one of the top schools in Luton and so properties falling with its catchment area are always sought-after. As a rough guide, this is most of the area between Icknield Way and New Bedford Road, and the Leagrave district itself.

Lewsey Park Pool is a 25 metres indoor pool on Pastures Way which also has water-based classes and activities and a sauna.

East of Pastures Way is the popular Birds Estate, with avian-themed street names such as Kestrel and Lapwing, and a variety of property types including three and four bed semis and one bed maisonettes.

Crossing - carefully! - over the M1 takes you to Leagrave itself which has its own train station and a good area of shops, restaurants, pubs and local businesses in Marsh Road (north of the railway tracks).

Leagrave has lots of terraces, semis and detached houses, mostly with three bedrooms but there're some two and four bed specimens around, such as those in Vincent Road and Fenwick Close respectively.

A particularly popular Leagrave option is the Electrolux development which was built in the late 90s. There's a good property mix ranging from modern apartments to 4/5 bed detached homes and it's just minutes away from the train station.

North of the Leagrave enclave leads to yet more estates: Limbury is between Birdsfoot Lane and Blundell Road over to Marsh Road; Marsh Farm is from Bramingham Road north to Whitehorse Vale as far along as Underwood Close; and Sundon Park lies west of Hill Rise and Galston Road to Sundon Park Road.

Limbury and Sundon Park are both popular family areas with lots of terraces and semis catering for this market, and Marsh Farm has some high-rise flats and lots of terraces, with a higher proportion of council tenants than in the other estates.

Finally, at the eastern side of Leagrave, there's the Barton Hills estate which was built in the last 10-20 years and stretches from Whitehaven and Sworder Close off Whitehorse Vale eastwards to Barton Road.

There's a range of property styles here including semis, detached, terraces and clusters (eg where a group of four houses back onto each other) and Barton Hills has a large Sainsbury's.

There are some local shops including a newsagent, small supermarket, chemist and hairdresser, and Bushmead also has a gym, a community centre, a church and a health centre.

Its northern section, in particular, has managed to hold on to its village character with its small but charming church (the parish church of St Thomas), and handful of little shops, while Stopsley High School is one of the most prestigious schools in Luton.

Property in Stopsley is quite family orientated and there's a good range of three bedroom detached, semis and bungalows, for example in Ashcroft Road, Sibley Close and Langford Drive.

There's also two and four bed detached homes, often in bungalow form, and some two and three bed terraces, but not much in the way of apartments.

Luton Regional Sports Centre is situated in St Thomas' Road in pleasant parkland surrounded by 60 acres of sports fields and pitches at Luton regional recreation Ground, also known as Stopsley Common.

Indoor activities include a climbing wall, basketball, volleyball, five-a-side football, badminton and the Profiles gym; outdoors you can enjoy tennis, football, netball, cricket, hockey and petanque.

Over to the east of Stopsley Common is the site of Butterfield Business and Technology Park which is currently under construction.

Summers Road, Lyneham Road and Overfield Road have all recently had three-bed semis on the market with prices ranging from £175,000 to just under £190,000.

Continuing further south along Vauxhall Way leads past the old Vauxhall Motor Works and Luton Airport Parkway station (east side) and to the airport itself via Airport Way (west side).

Trains from Luton parkway run to central London with a fastest journey time of 25 minutes and there's a regular shuttle bus to the airport which takes a mere five minutes.

Selsey Drive has some lovely detached houses, usually with between three and five bedrooms while Applecroft, Stapleford and Chesford roads have a good mix of semis and terraces.

Putteridge High School is just off Putteridge Road, and has an attached leisure centre with a 25 metre indoor swimming pool which is open to the public. Other activities available include five-a-side football, badminton, tennis and use of the gym.

Luton University has its second campus in Putteridge Bury mansion, beautifully set in 30 acres of landscaped gardens complete with ornamental pond.

Good-sized detached and semi-detached homes are plentiful particularly in the eastern side in roads such as Emmer Green, Warminster Close and Greenriggs, with the green mentioned in the street names a good indication of the countryside behind these houses.

Unsurprisingly there's a high proportion of three bed semis, with some particularly smart examples in Sussex Place, off Wigmore Lane due to the extra definition around their door and window frames.

Wigmore also has a selection of one bed cluster homes (for example in Hedley Rise, Lesbury Close and Linbridge Way) which would be ideal for first-time buyers and tend to be well under the stamp duty threshold of £125,000.

Wigmore is very accessible to London Luton Airport which will be either good or bad depending on your perspective - travel opportunities versus noise - and an Asda superstore.

Luton is also on the Bedford Line with trains to Kings Cross Thameslink (approx 35 mins) - this line continues to Gatwick Airport, Brighton and the South Coast. Operated by First Capital Direct, formerly known as Thameslink.

Connections also to the Midlands and the North with Inter-City.

Luton Parkway Station - located at the airport. Trains to London and the South, the Midlands and the North.

Luton Leagrave - in the Leagrave area to Luton's west. Trains to Bedford and to London and the south via Luton.

Shops include Debenhams, Boots, Next, Bay Trading, BHS, WH Smith, Tesco Metro, Superdrug, Argos, Woolworths and Mothercare, and there's also an Indoor Market.

Park Square and George Street - small shopping area adjacent to the Arndale.

Shops include Marks & Spencer, Bon Marche, Ottakar's, Toni & Guy Hairdresser, travel agents, food outlets including Subway and McDonalds, and bars including a Yates with large outdoors area.

French and Caribbean Markets are held at various times throughout the year.

- Stockwood Park - a vast open space which is often used to host circuses and fun fairs, Also has period gardens, a museum and a golf course.Other sporting facilities include rugby, football, athletics and horse-riding.

- Wardown Park- beautiful landscaped park with the river Lea flowing through it. Children's play area, museum, refreshment kiosk, bowling green and tennis courts.

- Various small parkswith playground facilities around the town.

- Surrounding countryside: Luton is in the midst of the Chiltern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over 2000km of routes for walking (including pushchair and wheelchair paths), cycling and horse riding.

- Stockwood Park Museum - includes the Mossman collection of horse-drawn vehicles, displays on rural Bedfordshire crafts, and The Period gardens. Various activities and events are held year-round.

- Wardown Park Museum - various exhibitions including the Luton Life display with photos, displays and objects about the history and people of Luton, and the Living Landscape gallery with displays on archaeology and natural history. There are also around four temporary exhibitions a year on a variety of subjects, as well as events and activities throughout the year.

- John Dony Field Centre - nature reserve museum located in Bushmead Community Centre. Information and permanent and temporary displays about the countryside sites in and close to Luton, and events for all ages.

- The Library Theatre - a 238 seat theatre on the third floor of Luton central Library in the town centre. Professional and amateur theatre performances, film screenings, and Music on Mondays, a live music programme on Monday evenings.

- The Hat Factory - an Arts facility in Bute Street by Luton's main train station which aims to develop arts in the town. Includes a theatre programme, music programme, comedy club, dance classes, film screenings including art house & Bollywood movies, club nights (Jazz Room and Boogie Room) and a café restaurant.

- Galaxy Leisure Complex: includes Cineworld 11 screen cinema, Namco high-tech computer games entertainment arcade, bowling, pool tables, bar / restaurants including Nando's, Aroma, Mumbai, JD Wetherspoon bar (The White House) and a bingo hall. Central location (Bridge Street) close to station and Arndale centre.

- Luton Regional Sports Centre, St Thomas' Road - set in 60 acres of sports fields and pitches. Indoor activities include climbing wall, several sports halls for five-a-side, basketball, volleyball etc and the newly refurbished Profiles gym. Outdoor activities include football, cricket, petanque, tennis and hockey.

- Lea Manor Recreation Centre, Northwell Drive - large community leisure centre at Lea Manor High School. Facilities include swimming pool, floodlit pitch, squash and badminton courts, multi-purpose activity area and weight training room.

- Lewsey Park Pool - metre swimming pool, fitness classes including pilates, sauna and sunbed.

- Stockwood Park Athletics Centre Farley Hill - athletics training and competition set within a natural bowl in Stockwood Park.

- Stockwood Park Golf Centre,London Road - parkland golf course. Lessons available from Golf Professional.

Luton's Mela is an annual event held in August which has expanded over the last decade to become an important feature of the UK Asian cultural events programme, and celebrates the music, culture and diversity of southern Asia.

Carnival - Luton International Carnival is a day-long event which has been taking place annually since May 1976 with the aim of bringing together the many cultures and communities living in Luton.

Now attracting around 140,000 people, the carnival involves music, food and craft stalls from around the world, street entertainment and children's rides, as well as a spectacular parade which is usually the highlight of the day.

Luton International Carnival is Europe's largest one-day festival.