Bedford Dunstable plant

Developed and opened by Vauxhall Motors in 1942 under instruction from the Ministry of Production as a shadow factory, it was transferred to the Bedford Vehicles unit in the 1950s.

[2] As much of the output was destined for the war effort, the factory was served by the Dunstable Branch Lines, which both brought raw materials and sub-assemblies in, and took finished products out.

The resultant production line was 1 mile (1.6 km) long, and the entire site employed 5,500 people,[3] on an average wage of £10 per week.

[2] The major blow came when Bedford failed to win the UK Ministry of Defence contract to produce the standard 4 ton 4x4 GS (general service) truck for the British forces.

The reasons for this decision were seen by many as political, as the Army 4 tonner contract was seen by the Thatcher government as essential for the long-term survival of Leyland and the formation of Leyland-DAF.

With cheaper far-Eastern sourced and more technically advanced vehicles now available on the commercial market, GM took the decision to concentrate the Bedford brand on light vans, which would be re-badged Isuzu models assembled at Luton.

The area towards Dunstable Road was the first to be redeveloped, with a Sainsbury's supermarket (already pre-let by Conrad Ritblat) the initial core of a retail development that included units occupied by McDonald's and Kwik-Fit.

In 1997 more single-storey buildings were demolished and a new retail park was built north of Sainsbury's, which presently includes a Staples, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Currys and a DFS furniture outlet.