Bedfordshire

Luton and Bedford are situated in the country of Bedfordshire in the midst of the north Chiltern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and are ideally placed between Oxford and Cambridge, London and Birmingham at the centre of the UK's transport network.

Bedfordshire itself is booming. Massive development projects are already underway or in the pipeline, including:

• a £1.3 billion expansion development at London Luton Airport (just two miles from the Luton campus)
• a £0.25 billion National Institute for Research into Aquatic Habitats (mid-way between Luton and Bedford)
• a £0.3 billion science park at Butterfield, Luton
• a £0.4 billion retail and housing development at the former Vauxhall site in Luton
• a £0.2 billion widening to the M1 motorway
• a further £1 billion development is planned before 2012, to include a bypass north of Luton, and a further £4.5 billion is planned for investment by 2030. Together, these projects will transform the county – its community, economy and landscape.

The University contributes significantly to both the financial and social regional economic growth of its regions. In addition to our role as a large employer and educator, we are committed to working in partnership with our local area, boosting skills and productivity through knowledge exchange, skills provision, and expertise in research and consultancy.

The town of Luton

The foundation of Luton is usually dated to the 6th century when a Saxon outpost was founded on the river Lea. Luton is recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as 'Loitone' with a population of around 700.

The town of Bedford

The Borough of Bedford was awarded Charter status by Henry II in 1166.

The Borough includes the county town of Bedford, the urban area of Kempston and 43 rural villages - an area of around 120,000 acres.

The town's historic significance dates back to Saxon times, and was important in the reign of King Alfred before the Danes attacked it in 1010.

Buckinghamshire

Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes (MK), founded in 1967, is the UK's fastest growing city, and in 2012 was recognised as the most attractive local authority area for business investment.

Five businesses move to or expand in MK every month, and it's home to some of the world's must successful businesses. It has a growing reputation for innovative technologies and has received major funding to develop high level research.

MK is ideally placed for local, national and international access. In the city centre there are huge shopping malls and in surrounding areas there are boutique village shops and farmers' markets. MK is packed with sports and leisure activities, and has 4,500 acres of parks and woodland. Award-winning galleries and theatres, superb places to eat and drink, stately homes, medieval abbey ruins and traditional village pubs, Milton Keynes has it all.

Aylesbury

The medieval county town of Aylesbury is bursting with culture – it has a thriving arts scene with the Queens Park Centre, the UK's largest independent arts centre and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre –, international cuisine and a great night life. It has a long and rich history dating back to the Iron Age. The town is just an hour on the train from central London.