Leighton Buzzard and Linslade

We are investing in Leighton Buzzard and Linslade to make them great places to live, work and visit.

In recent years, we have invested millions of pounds to support new housing, improve transport links and create modern facilities for local people. This includes a new care home and a new leisure centre, so the town keeps pace with its growing population.

We are also improving the town centre, developing better walking and cycling routes, and supporting bus services to make it easier for people to get around.

Below you can read about some of the projects already delivered and those planned for the future.

You can also sign up for email alerts about news in Leighton Buzzard and Linslade.

We are investing £33.9 million to build a brand new Leighton leisure and community centre, one of the largest single investments in Leighton Buzzard and Linslade. This flagship project will replace the existing Tiddenfoot site and provide modern, accessible facilities for the whole community.

The centre is being built on Briggington Way and will include a wide range of sports and community facilities:

• 25-metre swimming pool with spectator seating
• learner pool and confidence water for young children
• 150-station fitness suite
• squash courts
• multi-use studios for classes and activities
• cafe
• flexible community space

Tiddenfoot leisure centre will remain open until the new site is complete, so residents will continue to have access to leisure facilities throughout the project.

Read more about the Leighton leisure and community centre

We have invested £13 million in Marigold House, a modern and sustainable residential care home in Leighton Buzzard. Opened in February 2025, this flagship project shows our commitment to providing high-quality care for an ageing population.

Marigold House provides 63 en-suite bedrooms, light-filled communal areas and private outdoor spaces.

The home also includes a café, day centre, flexible community spaces and a Changing Places facility. This makes it more than a care home – it is a hub for the local community.

Marigold House has been built to the ultra-efficient Passivhaus Standard, making it one of the most sustainable care homes in the country. Residents benefit from comfortable living spaces, better air quality and lower running costs.

The home is managed by Care is Central, a company wholly owned by Central Bedfordshire Council, which ensures residents receive high-quality, good-value local care.

Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) set out how we’ll deliver safe, accessible routes to make towns and villages across Central Bedfordshire more walking, wheeling and cycling friendly. By encouraging active travel for everyday journeys, LCWIPs aim to improve health and wellbeing, reduce car use, cut air pollution and make life easier for people using mobility scooters, wheelchairs, pushchairs and prams.

We now have five adopted LCWIPs:

• Ampthill and Flitwick
• Biggleswade, Potton and Sandy
• Arlesey, Fairfield, Henlow and Stotfold
• Dunstable and Houghton Regis
• Leighton Linslade

There is also a sixth covering rural areas in development.

We have invested in better bus services for Leighton Buzzard and Linslade to provide more reliable, convenient and sustainable travel options. Centrebus Ltd now operate the town service under a new long-term contract, following a competitive tendering process.

The timetable was shaped by community feedback. It improves peak-time journeys to and from Leighton Buzzard railway station, giving commuters stronger links to faster trains into London. Evening and Sunday services are being retained, with a later Saturday evening departure added, and school transport connections strengthened.

Residents will also benefit from more realistic journey times to improve punctuality and better access to key destinations, including GP surgeries and the Grovebury Road Retail Park.

This investment shows our commitment to sustainable transport and ensures the community continues to have reliable, high-quality bus services for the future.

Read more about the new bus services

Leighton Buzzard and Linslade has benefited from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). 

In 2025, UKSPF funding supported local improvements including:

• new benches and planters around the Market Square and high street
• commissioning local artists to illustrate the benches and planters
• ‘alive after five’ events to bring more people into the town centre in the evenings

These improvements are making the town centre more welcoming, supporting local businesses and encouraging people to spend more time in Leighton Buzzard and Linslade.

We invested in a programme of works to improve safety and extend the life of the A505 Leighton Buzzard Bypass. The works included carriageway patching and crack sealing between the Stanbridge Road and Billington Road roundabouts. A full surface dressing followed in summer using the more durable “Lockchip” technique, alongside new signs and refreshed road markings.

We also delivered further safety upgrades at key junctions, based on a review of collisions along the route. These improvements made roundabouts clearer, discouraged dangerous overtaking to reduce the risk of accidents. More extensive works remained subject to future funding, but we demonstrated our commitment to making the bypass safer and more reliable.

We are continuing to look at the future of land south of Leighton Buzzard High Street, including the former Westlands site. This land is important for the town’s growth and has the potential to bring new homes, community facilities and improved parking.

A public consultation on proposals in 2023 attracted over 700 responses. Feedback highlighted the need to balance redevelopment with car parking and showed strong support for a new community and cultural space. In response, we are exploring options such as retaining part of Duncombe Drive car park, providing around 80 new homes, and setting aside space for community use.

We are now developing a masterplan and continuing discussions with health, community and development partners. Any proposals will be shaped by funding availability, market conditions and the feedback we have already received. Our aim is to create a scheme that supports the High Street, provides the right facilities and makes the best use of this important town-centre site.