Highfields, Leicester

Highfields, Leicester

Highfields is an inner city area of Leicester, England. As the name suggests, it is one of the highest areas in the city, on high ground southeast of the city centre. To the west the area is bounded by the Midland Main Line, to the south by London Road, and to the east by East Park Road. To the north is Spinney Hills, though there is no clear boundary between the two areas, and Spinney Hills (which extends northwards to Humberstone Road) is often considered to be part of Highfields. The neighbourhood is within walking distance of the city centre of Leicester and offers many amenities for religious, social, cultural and commercial activities.

The area was developed between the late 19th century and the start of the First World War, and contains many fine Victorian townhouses (now usually subdivided into flats), as well as areas of redbrick terraced housing. There are modern council estates and tower blocks to the east of Leicester railway station, built during the 1970s on the site of cleared slums, but for the most part the area consists of privately owned and rented property, with some housing association properties. Many of the area's properties are rented by students of the nearby University of Leicester. The city's workhouse, later Hillcrest Hospital, was formerly situated in the area, on the site now occupied by Moat Community College .

A section of the area running between London Road, Evington Road and St Peters Road was designated as the South Highfields Conservation Area was designated in April 1981. This conservation area originally had an area of approximately 22.20 hectares. The boundaries of the conservation area were reassessed in 2003, and it was reduced to approximately 20.55 hectares.

As with many inner-city areas in the United Kingdom, Highfields and its residents have often suffered from economic and other forms of social disadvantage. For this reason, Highfields has in the past been an area associated with crime - it was known even prior to the Second World War as the city's red light district however this is no longer the case. Although the area still suffers from many social problems, in recent years some of the establishments associated with criminal activity have been closed. Police activity within the area, often supported by local residents groups, has led to a number of drug busts. Whether this activity will lead to a significant reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour in the area has yet to be seen