Braunstone Park West
Leicester 026 · 4 sub-areas · 7,488 residents
Leicester 026 is a densely populated neighbourhood within Leicester, home to around 7,500 people with a notably high proportion of children and families. A typical two-bedroom flat runs about £895 a month — well below the UK national average for a 2-bed — and over six in ten households here are in social housing, which shapes the area's character considerably.
Braunstone Park West is a green, lower-density part of Leicester — parks within walking distance of most addresses, a slower weekday rhythm, and a population skewed toward longer-tenure households rather than transient renters. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in Braunstone Park West?
2 parks and 5 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; there's effectively nothing within walking distance — eating out, drinking and shopping mean a drive; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,026 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 4 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Braunstone Park West in Leicester
Living in Braunstone Park West
Leicester 026 stands out from much of the city for one striking reason: nearly two-thirds of its households are in social rented accommodation, giving it a very different feel from Leicester's more mixed or privately rented neighbourhoods. This is a settled, family-heavy area — almost a third of residents are under 18, one of the highest child shares you'll find anywhere in the East Midlands — and the community fabric reflects that.
On cost, this is one of the more affordable parts of Leicester. Private rents are modest by any measure: a one-bed averages around £718 a month, a two-bed around £895, and a three-bed just over £1,000. That's noticeably below the national two-bed median of roughly £1,200. Rents rose around 4.4% in the past year, broadly in line with the wider city. Council tax (Band D) comes to around £2,529 a year. The trade-off is that rent-to-income pressure is still real here — with median resident salaries around £27,900, housing costs take up over half of typical take-home pay.
The population skews young and family-oriented, with relatively few single-person households or older residents. The area has a meaningful ethnic diversity index of around 41, reflecting Leicester's wider character as one of England's most ethnically varied cities. Degree-level qualifications are held by around 16% of residents, below the national average, and unemployment claimant rates run at 5.5%, above the UK norm.
Getting around relies heavily on the car — around 60% of residents commute by car, with fewer than one in ten using public transport. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 4 km away. There's no metro or tram service nearby. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on specific pockets within Leicester 026.
What you'll need on day one
Compare Braunstone Park West with
Frequently asked
- Is Leicester 026 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. It's affordable, with two-bed rents around £895 a month, and it's a genuinely family-oriented community with lots of young residents. The trade-offs are a crime rate well above the national average and a lower share of Good or Outstanding schools nearby than you'd find in other parts of Leicester.
- What is the rent in Leicester 026?
- A one-bedroom home averages around £718 a month, a two-bed about £895, and a three-bed just over £1,046. These are neighbourhood-level estimates based on city-wide data scaled using local sale prices. Rents rose roughly 4.4% in the past year.
- Is Leicester 026 safe?
- Crime runs at around 134 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, noticeably above the UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. The area sits in the most deprived decile nationally, which correlates with higher crime levels. It's worth checking street-level data on Police.uk for the specific roads you're considering.
- What's the commute from Leicester 026 to Leicester city centre?
- Most residents drive — around 60% commute by car. Public transport use is low at under 10%. The nearest mainline rail station is about 4 km away, making it more practical to drive or take a bus to reach the wider rail network. Broadband is excellent, with full gigabit coverage supporting home working.
- Who lives in Leicester 026?
- Predominantly families — nearly a third of residents are under 18, one of the highest child-population shares in the East Midlands. Most households are in social housing (63%), owner-occupation is low at 28%, and the area is ethnically diverse, reflecting Leicester's wider character.
- What schools are near Leicester 026?
- There are 59 schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 33% are rated Good or Outstanding — significantly below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is about 2.8 km away. Check Leicester City Council's admissions pages and Ofsted for current ratings and catchment boundaries.
- How affordable is Leicester 026 compared to the rest of Leicester?
- It's among the more affordable parts of the city for private renters, with rents below the national two-bed median of around £1,200. However, with resident salaries averaging roughly £27,900, housing still absorbs over half of typical take-home pay — so affordability is relative.