Bourneville vs Sutton

[Cinnamonlily06]

What to choose ? As I like both and don't know then well either ... school wise and neighbourhood wise tx

Well I am in Sutton and love it, but it depends what you want to be near too I guess. I am Boldmere, so close to the cross city line and 15mins from Birmingham which was most important to us. Good schools, close to the M6/M42, right by the countryside... but then you could say most of that about south Birmingham as well.

I love Lichfield as well, and we have a great community round here, lots going on.

What are you looking for? And where will you be working etc?

I will be working in Sutton 😀 But I have friends in bourneville 😓 So really don't know ... also I think from Sutton is easier to commute to Leicester if required ( or am I wrong ?) as I'm applying for next and George ho... I did like Sutton will go again this week
What schools would you reccomend?

If you are working in Sutton, and can afford to buy in Sutton it's a no brainer. Especially if you need to get to and from work anytime between 7.45 and 9.30am then 3.45 and 6pm.
I wouldn't consider crossing the City Centre if I had a realistic choice.

I wouldn't live anywhere in Birmingham/Sutton and commute to Leicester! I would live near Leicester tbh.

I don't like Leicester ... and if I get a job in next I can't unsettle the kids again ....so I'd rather commute and drive ... it's only 40 minutes

I've never managed it in 40 minutes!
Definitely not Bournville then...

Considering the 2 and taking Leicester off the plan which one would you recommend ? As I like both and I have no idea :))

Oh, I'd missed that. I presumed you were occasionally visiting family or friends in Leicester. You'd be bonkers to buy in Birmingham if you are going to be working in Leicester. You've got absolutely no chance of getting from Bournville to Sutton in 40mins - Leicester, you've got no chance!!!

Depends where abouts though. If you are working this side of Leicester and you live out by the M42 side of Sutton, you could do it in under an hour

Back-to-school it takes me an hour to do Edgbaston- Northfield on an evening (4:30-5:30).
Leicester??

Sutton to bourneville by train is ok .
But regardless jobs I lean more towards bourneville but awaiting advice ... for schools and activities and neighbours

I prefer Bournville. However you cannot commute daily to Leicester from BV. It takes me 25m to get from home, to Nursery. To work and that’s all within Bournville!

I like Bourneville, but only the trust houses, and they come up rarely, with a lot of rules about how to keep them.

Sutton is large, and some parts are really nice, some are very normal. Warmley and Four Oaks seem the best to live in, going by friends that live there.

And community wise? As we usually go out quite a lot .. parks museums cafe activities ... it seems easier from bourneville

It’s Bournville. No “e” in the middle.

There are lots of parks around here, not so many cafes, and very few bars or pubs. Stirchley is probably slightly better endowed in that respect but only if you are a hipster.

It’s only 12 minutes to town on the train.

I’ve lived in Sutton and Leicester. If you like Birmingham I honestly don’t understand why you wouldn’t like Leicester. The area round Oadby is really nice and the city is compact and has everything. Anyway, there is no way I would consider commuting between Bournville and Leicester, that would be a horrible journey that could take way longer than you think. I know the Next building is on the right side of the city for coming from Sutton but it would still be a horrid journey to do every day in rush hour, but I’d choose it over driving from Bournville any time.

Because Leicester is small ! Nothing going on in there ! I liked only Birmgham after London .... went many times in Leicester and it's a very small town ... I like to be in a bigger city 😓😊 i liked Clarendon s park area

Bournville 😀

You seem really set on Bournville despite the travelling, go for it!

I think Leicester is the 9th biggest city in England.

I am not sure you'll find a house in Bournville in your budget. Rightmove list 1 3bed at 850 and 1 2bed at 795... and that's it!

It's v pricey

I have found a bit more up ( selly oak for 700) and bit more down for 650 still in the catchment . A 2 bed it's around 650/670 a 3 bed around 730

But if you're after community, selly oak isn't the place (unless you're 18-21 and a student!)

I'm sorry, this will sound blunt, but you need to compromise- it isn't physically doable for someone to live in Bournville (for the community), drop two (more?) children to school (before/after school care is like golddust, and max hours would be 8am- 6pm), and get to Sutton Coldfield for work at 9am. Train takes about 50m- 1 hour, but the station is 15-20mins walk from childcare (assuming you could get a place at Bournville Infant or Junior, not guaranteed, especially from a selly oak postcode), nor get back by 6pm for pick-up.
If someone else is doing drop-off/pick-ups, then it's doable, but will be v tiring, and stressful trying to make it back in time. (Not to mention the random days the trains don't run). Employers get cross about people clockwatching and haring it out of the door.

Trying to get to Leicester for work hours would mean you leaving Bournville at 7am at absolute latest- at rush hour it's between 1:30 and 2 hour drive.
If you're seriously planning to work in Leicester, choose Sutton. Initially, commute will be fine within Sutton, and then journey to Leicester would be about 1 hr 20 by car. Train to Leicester is 2 hours, due to having to go into Birmingham New Street first.

I am trying to save you money and heartache by telling you the realities of living in Birmingham.
My 3.5 mile commute has at times taken 1hr 20 minutes. More than a sprinkling of snow and the whole city grinds to a halt. Last time it snowed and stuck, I had to walk my 3.5yo and 6yo home for 3 1/2 miles, it was awful.
The time of snow before that, I had colleagues that got home after midnight (live and work in Birmingham), there were children sleeping at schools overnight!

Now, I know snow is rare, but roadworks aren't. Last week, it took me 1hr to get from university of Birmingham to Northfield, and that was before rush hour. It may look small and compact on a map, particularly when compared with London, but we don't have a tube, many residential areas don't have trains even!
If someone else is doing all the child stuff, then it's doable, provided you only see your children at weekends. I'm sorry if I've inferred incorrectly that it's just you, perhaps you do have a partner doing all the children side of things.

The problem is, a B29 postcode that covers Selly Oak also covers many other places, some of which will call themselves Bournville. A Bournville postcode (b30) also covers Stirchley and Cotteridge. A house might claim it’s in Bournville because of its postcode but it really isn’t, unless it’s BVT housing. Basically, it’s it’s near a pub it’s NOT Bournville.

If you want to get out of the city the Bournville is not a good plan. Have you looked at Bromsgrove? It’s near the motorway? Realistically you need Sutton to get to Leicester though.

Realistically, you need Coventry to commute to Leicester 😂

I left Home at 8:10 this morning. My 1.5 mile drive to Nursery took 9 minutes. I dropped DS which took 5 minutes and it took me another 11 minutes to drive the 1 mile to work. Then it’s 5 mins from the car park so I was at my desk at just after 8:40.

That journey is entirely within B30 and avoids the “big” pinch points like Cotteridge island and the Bristol Rd towards town.

On the other hand, if you get the train straight into town you can be there in 12 minutes —unless it’s leaf fall timetable when it’s anyones guess—