Taking off: Luton on the radar for London's first-time buyers with cheaper house prices and fast train links

Luton airport was recently voted best of the six serving the South-East, and now the town, with an average house price of £239,735 — 60 per cent below the London average — plus 24-minute trains 24 hours a day to central London and good motorway connections, is attracting first-time buyers and commuters.

Originally a base for a Second World War RAF fighter squadron, the airport is undergoing a major upgrade, part of a wider £1.5 billion regeneration initiative that includes a town centre makeover and the release of former industrial land for housing.

Churchill tanks were built at the Vauxhall car factory during the war, which made Luton a Luftwaffe target. The town centre was extensively damaged but more than 50 listed buildings remain.

Vauxhall Motors shut down in 2002, leaving 55 acres that has now become Napier Park, a new neighbourhood of homes, shops and parks close to the train station.

Saxon Square is the latest phase — 223 flats priced from £195,000 and Arts and Crafts-style “heritage” townhouses at Eaton Green Heights starting at £369,995, with Help to Buy available on selected plots. Call Redrow on 020 3733 9193.

Three miles from the town centre is Caddington Wood, a scheme of houses on a former Ford Motors site. From £379,950. Call 01582 788064.