What it's like to live in Coalville
What is it like to live in Coalville? It is a down-to-earth former mining town in North West Leicestershire, big enough to have its own shops, pubs and hospital but small enough to feel familiar quickly. It suits families and anyone who wants everyday things close by. Coalville Park and the Belvoir Shopping Centre are both handy plus points.
1 council and housing association home available to swap within 15 miles of Coalville.
"I'd move here" adds Coalville to the areas on your listing, so homes here are matched to you first.
Coalville sits in the north west corner of Leicestershire, a town of around 21,988 people with a working past written into its name and its street names.
It is the kind of place where most of what you need sits close together: a shopping centre, a retail park, supermarkets, a hospital and a library all within a short distance of the middle of town. That matters if you are weighing up a move with children, or without a car.
This guide sticks to what we know about Coalville and the wider North West Leicestershire district, so you can judge whether it suits you before you start looking for a swap.
Which homes are available to swap near Coalville?
What is it like to live in Coalville?
What is it like to live in Coalville? It is a down-to-earth former mining town in North West Leicestershire, big enough to have its own shops, pubs and hospital but small enough to feel familiar quickly. It suits families and anyone who wants everyday things close by. Coalville Park and the Belvoir Shopping Centre are both handy plus points.
Day to day, life is practical rather than showy. Morrisons, Iceland, Home Bargains and a couple of independent grocers cover the shopping, and there are five pharmacies within a mile or so of the centre, plus Long Lane Surgery and Broom Leys Surgery for appointments.
As with any busy town centre, a fixed one-mile radius picks up a fair number of recorded incidents each month, most of them minor. Community life is visible, with the Marlene Reid Centre, the George Smith Hub and Coalville C.A.N all based nearby.
What are the schools and family life like in Coalville?
For a town this size, the choice of schools is decent. Saint Clare's Primary, Belvoirdale Community Primary and Broom Leys Primary are all within two thirds of a mile, with Hugglescote Community Primary and All Saints CE Primary a little further out.
For older children, The Newbridge School is only a few minutes from the centre, with The Castle Rock School, Forest Way School and Ibstock Community College all within three miles. Do your own checks on places and inspection reports for the year you would be applying.
Coalville Library has Family Hub support attached, which is worth knowing if you want advice, groups or somewhere warm and free to take the children. Scotland's Playing Field, Coalville Park, Bardon View Park and the Tiny Forest give you green space close to home.
Primary schools
- Saint Clare's Primary Schoolnearby
- Belvoirdale Community Primary School0.3 mi
- Broom Leys Primary School0.6 mi
- Hugglescote Community Primary School0.9 mi
- All Saints CE Primary School1.1 mi
Secondary schools
- The Newbridge School0.3 mi
- The Castle Rock School1.4 mi
- Forest Way School1.6 mi
- Ibstock Community College2.7 mi
Parks
- Scotland's Playing fieldnearby
- Coalville Park0.3 mi
- Dogtastic Secure Dog Field0.3 mi
- Bardon View Park0.5 mi
- Tiny Forest0.9 mi
Libraries
- Coalville Library (with Family Hub support)0.6 mi
- Coalville Tool Library0.8 mi
What shops and everyday essentials are in Coalville?
Supermarkets
- Home Bargains0.4 mi
- Gracey Stores0.5 mi
- Iceland Supermarket Coalville0.6 mi
- European Supermarket0.7 mi
- Morrisons0.7 mi
Pharmacies
- Well Pharmacy Long Lanenearby
- Whitwick Road Pharmacy Weight Loss & Travel Clinic0.5 mi
- Well Pharmacy0.6 mi
- Masons Chemists0.6 mi
- Boots0.6 mi
Hospitals
- Long Lane Surgerynearby
- Coalville Community Hospital0.6 mi
- Broom Leys Surgery0.6 mi
- Renewal Bariatric Surgery Center0.6 mi
Shopping centres
- Whitwick Retail Park0.6 mi
- Belvoir Shopping Centre0.6 mi
- Megaproducts.shop0.9 mi
How do you get around Coalville?
Coalville is a walkable town. Schools, parks, the library, the surgeries and the shopping centre all sit within a mile or so of the centre, so plenty of trips can be done on foot or by pushchair without much planning.
Public transport here is buses. There are stops and interchanges at the Family Centre, Fairfield Road, Station Road and Sherwood Close, all within a mile and a half, linking the town and the villages around it. Check the exact routes and times for the journeys you make most before you commit.
A car opens up more, particularly for work further afield in Leicestershire, and the retail park is easy to reach by road. But you are not stranded without one.
Bus stations
- Family Centre0.6 mi
- Fairfield Road0.7 mi
- Station Road0.8 mi
- Station Road0.9 mi
- Sherwood Close1.4 mi
What is there to do in Coalville?
The Century Theatre, about a mile out, is the main place for shows and screenings, and there are outdoor cinema events at Loughborough and Leicester within a few miles.
Pubs are plentiful and varied: The Scaffold Inn, the Flying Horse, the Merry Miners Bar, The Victoria Biker's Pub and the Halfway Hotel are all a short walk from the centre, with The Emporium for a later night.
If you like keeping active, PureGym Coalville and Physique Fitness sit near the middle of town, and there are martial arts clubs including GKR Karate and Ashby and Coalville Martial Arts. For weekends, the parks, the Dogtastic secure dog field and the Coalville Tool Library all add something a bit different.
Gyms
- Physique Fitnessnearby
- GKR Karate Coalville Dojo0.4 mi
- PureGym Coalville0.5 mi
- Ashby and Coalville Martial Arts0.6 mi
- Built By Brooks Training0.8 mi
Cinemas
- Century Theatre1 mi
- Outdoor Cinema Loughborough2.5 mi
- Outdoor Cinema Leicester2.5 mi
Pubs and bars
- The Scaffold Inn0.3 mi
- Flying Horse0.4 mi
- Merry Miners Bar0.4 mi
- The Victoria Biker's Pub0.5 mi
- Halfway Hotel0.5 mi
Nightlife
- The Emporium0.6 mi
Community centres
- George Smith Hub0.5 mi
- The Marlene Reid Centre0.6 mi
- Confidence Academy Martial Arts School Whitwick ST. Davids Hall Broomleys Coalville0.7 mi
- THINK FC CIC0.7 mi
- Coalville C.A.N (CAN HQ)0.7 mi
What is work and the local economy like in Coalville?
North West Leicestershire is a working district. Around 60.3% of adults in the wider council area are in work, above the England figure of 57.4%, and unemployment sits at 2.4% against 3.5% nationally.
That pattern holds in the benefits figures too: 2.1% of 16 to 64 year olds in the council area were claiming unemployment-related benefits in August 2026, against 4% across England. On the numbers, this is an area where people tend to be in jobs.
We do not have detail on individual employers here, so it is worth checking commuting times and local vacancies for your own line of work. The town centre, retail park and hospital are all within easy reach for shift work.
Figures are for the North West Leicestershire council area, Census 2021 and ONS claimant count.
What is housing like in Coalville and who lives there?
Social renting is less common here than nationally: 13.5% of homes in the North West Leicestershire area are social rented, against 17.1% across England, with 71.8% owned outright or on a mortgage. That means fewer social homes to swap into, so patience helps.
North West Leicestershire District Council is by far the biggest social landlord with around 4,080 homes, followed by EMH Housing and Regeneration with 1,715, then Midland Heart, Platform Housing and Sanctuary Housing.
Average weekly social rents in the council area in 2024/25 were £86 for a one bed, £99 for a two bed and £110 for a three bed. The age profile skews slightly older than England's, with 20.1% aged 65 and over and 28% aged 45 to 64.
Typical weekly social rents in the North West Leicestershire council area
| Size | Council | Housing association |
|---|---|---|
| Bedsit | £66 | £76 |
| 1 bed | £78 | £92 |
| 2 bed | £92 | £108 |
| 3 bed | £108 | £116 |
| 4 bed | £115 | £130 |
Social rent averages for 2024/25. Affordable rent homes cost more, typically 60 to 80% of market rent.
Biggest social landlords in the council area
- North West Leicestershire District Council4,080 homes
- EMH Housing and Regeneration Limited1,715 homes
- Midland Heart Limited328 homes
- Platform Housing Limited234 homes
- Sanctuary Housing Association183 homes
- The Riverside Group Limited176 homes
- Nottingham Community Housing Association Limited160 homes
- Places for People Living+ Limited81 homes
How safe is Coalville?
Like every town centre, Coalville has police incidents logged each month. In July 2026 there were 168 within about a mile of the centre, made up of:
- Anti-social behaviour reports28
- Vehicle crime5
- Bicycle theft1
- Shoplifting12
- Other theft11
- Theft from the person2
Source: data.police.uk street-level crime. Counts cover a fixed one-mile radius around the centre, so busy high streets and stations always record far more than the residential streets around them, and most incidents are minor. Compare like with like: a similar-sized town centre, not a village.
Is Coalville a good place for council and housing association tenants?
Right now there is one listing within 15 miles on Mutual Home Exchange: a two-bed house in Leicester, about 12 miles away, whose tenant wants to upsize. That is thin, and worth knowing before you pin your hopes on a quick move.
The way round it is to get your own home listed with clear photos and an honest description, then set Coalville and the LE67 area as a desired location. New listings appear all the time, and tenants searching for a home like yours will find you.
It costs nothing to list, and the more specific you are about what you want, the better your chances when the right match comes along.
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