What is droitwich like?

[Oldoaktree61]

Hey 👋

We're hoping to move from Solihull to somewhere quieter but still easily commutable back to Solihull & Birmingham.

We've been looking at Droitwich as an option, we have a 3 year old who will be starting school in September so schools are important.

How is it as a place to live?

TIA

its ok. Some parts are very nice. Others less so. Schools are ok. If I was moving that way depending on budget I’d probably look at more of the smaller villages on the outskirts of bromsgrove/redditch

It’s okay. Not great. There are very few schools
and as a result they have become very big. It’s an overflow town from Birmingham and in recent years some Bham local authorities have been housing people from some not so nice areas in new social housing in Droitwich as there has been a huge amount of development around the town in the last ten years. The town centre isn’t that nice, there is nowhere very nice to go for a coffee or lunch and no very nice pubs. Having said that there are some nice residential areas, a good community spirit, and people who live there seem to be happy.
I think it really depends on what you’re looking for.

If you want to be close to Solihull I’d say Henley in Arden, Stratford, Leamington Spa would be nicer.

@Helpwithdivorce I have a had a look at some of the surrounding villages wychbold, Hanbury, Upton Warren etc.. obviously there isn't that much for sale there but they do look nice. Which are the areas that are not so nice in droitwich?

@Helpwithdivorce one of the reasons we are not interested in up-sizing in Solihull is because it is becoming a smaller version of Birmingham so it's disappointing to hear birmingham are using droitwich for housing. So I work in solihull and go into the office once or twice a week and OH works in Birmingham city centre and has to be on site every day... we thought stratford initially but it might be pushing his commute abit. It's so difficult it seems even the smaller towns are having their own problems, lack of funding etc. Really we're just looking for peace and quiet and a nice school for our daughter

I live in Worcestershire and have been to Droitwich a few times. I have always found the town centre a bit depressing. Nice park though, with a cricket club, lido, tennis courts. We are in Malvern. Schools are good and there are direct trains to Birmingham.
Have you looked at villages around Worcestershire Parkway station?

The lido is nice and there are some nice parks.
I would look around feckenham, maybe Astwood bank, Hanbury, dodford, alvechurch, barnt green. Or if you’re not set on the area out towards Stratford. Kenilworth

I think the difficulty you'll find is nowhere close by to Solihull, will have comparable amenities. By this, I mean, a thriving high street with bars/ restaurants, choice of good schools and a shopping mall like touchwood. Would small town / semi rural living actually suit you? If so, some of the options pp posted above would be perfect. If not, and you want the best of both worlds - i.e buzzy and vibrant, but without the big city crime stats, you'd be better off looking at small cities in the West mids. Worcester or Lichfield are both commutable for instance and offer a good balance of historic, picturesque and safe.

Have you looked at bewdley, or hartlebury? Or if you don’t mind going a bit more rural there’s Great Witley, Abberley, far forest, Stanford bridge, Shelsley Walsh, Clifton. All lovely villages in catchment areas of good schools.

Some amazing foodie places nearby to Driotwich, Ombersley in particular.

How much do you want going on? Maybe Worcester would be a good fit? Or somewhere like Claines on the outskirts of Worcester. Malvern is an absolutely lovely place to live, v classy and beautiful with lots of good food/drink options but it’s probably too far to Solihull for a regular commute. It take an hour on the train to get to Bham.

Town centre is depressing but you can get what you need. There’s a Waitrose which makes things better! Worcester, Solihull etc are on the doorstep. Good primary schools - St Peters in particular - and both middle schools are good options. Limited high school options - the one local high school is good, there’s one further afield which is ok too