 North West Leicestershire has experienced steady population growth in recent times as the district balances the agro-rural economy with the end of labour intensive deep coal-mining.Alternative employment opportunities exist within the district in the services and distributive sectors, together with local or nearby manufacturing and extractive/transformative/construction industries.The lack of rail services to/from Leicester, Loughborough and other nearby centres limits access for employment, commerce and leisure to a road journey that competes with freight and heavy-haulage vehicles especially to the south and east.