Where to move to in Birmingham?

[AK86xo]

We’re planning on moving to Birmingham with our children attending schools in Edgbaston. The areas we are considering moving to are Edgbaston, Harborne, Moseley or Bourneville. Whilst Edgbaston would be most suitable for distance to schools, I’ve heard it has an area referred to as the red light district. The houses here also seem extremely overpriced for what you get and are often semi detached. Is the area really that amazing? I know very little about these areas and just wondered what people’s experiences are with them?

My sister lived in Harborne which is really nice. Also Bournville is lovely and home to the chocolate factory of course!

All of those areas are really nice and desirable parts of Birmingham! I'm not sure about the red light area in Edgbaston? I think it might be on the edge near Rotton Park Road? I live in Moseley it's got more of a 'bohemian' vibe than the other places, an award winning monthly farmers market, two yearly festivals a michelin starred local restaurant (to be fair so does Edgbaston) and we're really close to Kings Heath.

Edgbaston-proper is very desirable. Therefore lots of peripheral areas like to claim that they are Edgbaston, too. Stay south of the Hagley Road and you should be OK.

As pp said, Rotton Park Row / Gillott Road used to be the red light district. Don't know if it still is. People still snigger about goings-on "round the back of Rackhams" even thought Rackhams was rebranded as House of Fraser yeeears ago. Reputations are slow to shift!

The houses here also seem extremely overpriced for what you get and are often semi detached. Is the area really that amazing?
You haven't been down Farquhar Road, have you?

Well, there's Edgbaston and there's "Edgbaston".
When you're in the naice bit you'll know!

Which schools do you need to get to? Moseley to EHS, for example, gets very stale after you've done it even once
Getting to Blue Coat far easier to pick Harborne. KES/KEHS easier from Bournville than other schools. (And is on the train line from Bournville!)

bananabunch119 - Do you find Moseley to be family friendly as I have read that it is well suited for the younger crowd, and I envision us living here for the next 20+ years?

senua - In honesty it was some online comments I found from a number of years ago regarding the red light district so hopefully that no longer exists. Ironically we drove down Farquhar road the other day.. Beautiful street and houses, but I do feel like it’s almost the diamond amongst the dirt?

KingsHeathen - Aiming for the likes of Blue coat then KES/KEHS. Definitely seems Harborne is the ideal location, but it appears the vast majority of houses are the Victorian terraced type with no off road parking which is a bit of a dealbreaker. I think finding something detached with a driveway that I really love may be a bit of a needle in a haystack, and ultimately ridiculously expensive for what it is. But I guess that’s due to the perceived desirable location?

I do feel like it’s almost the diamond amongst the dirt
Did you mean to be so rude?

Not at all, apologies. With your comment of staying South of Hagley Rd I thought you was also implying that outside of this the area is not so desirable? What I meant was that Farquhar Rd isn’t representative of the average street for this area, that is all. No harm done.

We'll, personally, I prefer Westfield Rd, or Carpenter/Ampton/Wellington roads.
But for blue coat, there's a house on Barlow's Road, detached, driveway, might suit? Easy walk to blue coat.

There's also a reasonable one on Park Hill Road with a drive, and one on serpentine rd with parking. But no, parking in central Harborne isn't easy to come by.

Anyway, presumably you're moving for work because there's no other reason to move to Birmingham so where do you need to get to each day, as that will be just as important.

How old are your children? Mine is 10 months and already Blue Coat is full for her intake. Don’t buy based on going there unles you’re sure you can get them in!

My view is Bournville’s houses tend to be smaller and it’s a lovely area but less going on than Harborne or Moseley. I also think a lot of the houses in Harborne which are more affordable are terraced, until you start going further from the High Street (though they’re lovely inside).

Farquhar Road is amazing but so is Wellington Rd, Carptenter Rd, Pakenham Rd etc. Very handy for West House!

My vote is Moseley as a combination of getting most for your money, community vibe, and transport links (train station opening again in a couple of years).

KingsHeathen - Thanks for all your suggestions. Definitely a lot to consider as it’s not a decision to be made lightly.

GrubbyHipsterBeard - My son is approaching 2 and I have one on the way. I did read that the waiting lists for Blue Coat become full early but I wasn’t sure if that was just scare tactics. With your child only being 10 months, can I ask at what age you tried to register them? And thank you for your input regarding which location

Mine was born in May 2018 and in November 2018 I was told that for age 2/3 entry (which I think is when they start - they don’t really have a reception intake) they only had availability for children born after September 2018!

Oh, you don't have a place?
Well, maybe rent until you know his place at a school is secure?
IME you need to register for Blue Coat and Hallfield before they're 1 ideally. West House, by 2, but IME lots leave in nursery/reception as they were awaiting spaces elsewhere. EHS by 2 usually too. Priory and St. George's can register any time.
At least there's none of that stress for secondary!

It does hack me off that there's no train line to Harborne though... and most parts don't have access to parks, nor does Edgbaston, other than the Botanical gardens (which do an excellent annual family pass btw). At least Moseley has decent parks, as does Bournville, which are usually essential with small children.
But no- I would never do Moseley- Blue Coat school run. What a waste of your life!

I don't know if anyone i still reading ghtis but I wish I'd seen this a couple of months ago...

Edgbaston is NOT a red light district. LOL - that's like saying "Is Chelsea a red light district"? You couldn't be more wrong.
There is no red light district in Birmingham although working girls work here and there and they shift around via hassle from police and neighbourhood groups like any other city in the developed world.
There will always be working girls...

I'll let you into a secret as a Londoner who moved to Brum - Bearwood Bearwood Bearwood !!!

It's got parks (and woods - proper woods), a community vibe you can get properly and actually involved with (which Edgbaston and Harborne really don't have) and it's a down to earth "real" place to live where your money will go a LOT further in terms of the house you can buy than Edgbaston or Harborne. Check it out... You've got kids - you are going to be spending a lot of time IN YOUR HOUSE ! So get some bang for your buck.

I moved from London to Brum and chose Bearwood after renting around Birmingham for a year and researching it all.
I'm VERY glad I chose Bearwood.

I look out my back door - all I can see are trees. Step out of my front door and five minutes later I'm in the centre of town. It's a five quid cab ride to the "West End" of Birmingham - and now they're bringing the tram to guess where - BEARWOOD ! (also has best Chinese take away on the planet and Global wines, two bottles of properly decent French Cab Sav for seven quid) It's like finding that secret and excellent quarter of Paris that's a bit working class but full of groovy people and somehow the massive houses are cheap and the local shops turn out to be amazing - and really, do you want to live in Notting Hill - or do you actually realise that the not so famous place right next to Notting Hill is actually a much better place to live where you can afford a much bigger house, everyone is a bit more friendly and you get a properly bloody good garden. That's Bearwood.

BTW - Blue Coat is a great school for girls but DON'T send your boys there - it will crush them. I made the mistake of sending all three of mine to Blue Coat, Boy, Girl, Boy in that order and I speak from experience when I tell you send your girls to Blue Coat and your boys to St Georges.

If you want the inside track on anything about moving to or living in Birmingham just PM me. Honestly it's a great place to live - centre of the country and you can bash out trips to anywhere really easily - suddennly it feels like everywhere is really close, the coast, London, Hereford, Wales... We've got opera, the Royal ballet, sooooo many galleries and collections.

For me, it's London minus the annoyance.
And if I need the annoyance (which I sometimes do) it's exactly one hour on the train.