Donisthope & Blackfordby
North West Leicestershire 008 · 5 sub-areas · 9,164 residents
North West Leicestershire 008 is a largely owner-occupied area within North West Leicestershire, home to around 9,200 people. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £805 a month — well below the national median for a two-bed — though rents have risen close to 9% in the past year. Nearly three in four residents own their home, making this one of the more settled, established parts of the district.
Donisthope & Blackfordby is a mid-density neighbourhood of North West Leicestershire in the East Midlands region. It sits between busier and quieter parts of the local authority and isn't dominated by a single use — there's a mix of workplaces, housing and local services. Most homes are owner-occupied, so turnover is low and many residents have been here a long time.
Overview
What's it like to live in Donisthope & Blackfordby?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; Transport links are limited — a car or e-bike is a practical assumption for most regular trips; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £899 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Donisthope & Blackfordby in North West Leicestershire
Living in Donisthope & Blackfordby
This is a quiet, predominantly owner-occupied corner of North West Leicestershire, where the pace is slower and the housing stock leans heavily towards family homes rather than flats. Around 21% of households are couples with children, and the age profile skews older than you might expect — roughly one in four residents is aged 50 to 64, and nearly one in five is 65 or over. That shapes the feel of the area: established, low-turnover, not especially geared towards younger renters.
Rents are genuinely affordable by national standards. A two-bedroom property runs around £805 a month, which is comfortably below the UK median of around £1,200 for the same size. Even a three-bedroom comes in at under £1,000. The trade-off is that private renting is relatively rare here — only about one in ten households rents privately — so availability can be limited and competition for the right property is real.
The area is almost entirely car-dependent. Just 1.3% of residents commute by public transport, while nearly two thirds drive to work. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 10.5 km away in a straight line — around a two-hour walk, so you'll need a car or a cycle to reach it. That said, 28% of residents work from home, which softens the transport picture considerably for those whose employers allow it.
Deprivation is around the middle of the national range — an IMD decile of roughly 5.8, meaning this area is neither notably deprived nor especially affluent. Greenspace is a genuine strength: around 62% of residents are within easy walking distance of green space, with the typical distance to the nearest patch sitting at under 300 metres. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
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Frequently asked
- Is North West Leicestershire 008 a nice place to live?
- It's a settled, quiet residential area with affordable rents and good access to green space — around 62% of residents are within an easy walk of parkland. The trade-off is that it's heavily car-dependent, public transport is very limited, and the Ofsted picture for nearby schools is weaker than the national average.
- What is the rent in North West Leicestershire 008?
- A one-bedroom property runs around £623 a month, a two-bed around £805, and a three-bed around £974. These are estimates based on local sale prices rather than a direct ONS measurement at neighbourhood level. Rents rose roughly 8.6% in the past year.
- Is North West Leicestershire 008 safe?
- The recorded crime rate is around 44 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — well below the UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. That puts this among the lower-crime areas in England and is broadly consistent with its settled, owner-occupied character.
- What's the commute from North West Leicestershire 008 to Birmingham?
- By public transport, Birmingham is roughly 154 minutes away — a significant journey. The area has very low public-transport use (just 1.3% of commuters), and the nearest mainline rail station is about 10.5 km away, so most residents drive. Working from home is common here — around 28% do so.
- Who lives in North West Leicestershire 008?
- Predominantly older owner-occupiers — nearly three in four residents own their home, and the largest age group is 50 to 64 (around 23%). About one in five households is a couple with children. It's one of the more ethnically homogeneous areas in England, with 96.8% of residents UK-born.
- What schools are near North West Leicestershire 008?
- There are 17 schools within roughly 2km of typical residents, but only around 19% are rated Good or Outstanding — well below the national average of around 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 3.6 km away. Checking individual schools' current Ofsted reports before moving is strongly advisable.
- Is North West Leicestershire 008 good for families?
- It has genuine family appeal in some respects — affordable three-bedroom rents under £1,000 a month, low crime, and good greenspace access. The school quality picture is a significant caveat, though, with only around 19% of nearby schools rated Good or Outstanding. Car ownership is essential.