Stirchley awarded best place to live in Midlands
It's been described as 'down to earth' in this year's Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
Last updated 15th Mar 2024
Stirchley, Birmingham has been named as the best place to live in the Midlands in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
Six other locations in the Midlands are featured in the comprehensive guide.
Published by The Sunday Times, the guide includes 72 locations across the UK.
Others in the running included Knowle and Dorridge, Solihull, Buxton in Derbyshire and Shropshire Hills.
The Sunday Times judges said: “Anyone lucky enough to live in this down-to-earth suburb of Birmingham has some of the city’s best bars, restaurants and cafés - Couch, Eat Vietnam, Caneat - within walking distance of their home, as well as good schools and easy rail connections to the city centre, especially when the new Pineapple Road station opens later this year.
"Community spirit is visible all over Stirchley, from free art clubs in the library to the events at Stirchley Baths, a community centre that hosts cinema nights and a community market.
"Loaf, the co-operative bakery and cookery school that was one of the first independents to put Stirchley on the map, does a £1 Stirchley loaf, alongside its famous sourdough, so that everyone can afford good local bread.”
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says: “This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2024, from Dunkeld to Knutsford, Falmouth to Leeds. Wherever you are on the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you.
“These are all places where you can feel grounded as well as upwardly mobile: they have a mature sense of community, lively, supportive high streets and an eye to the future, whether that is eco-friendly measures, transport and regeneration, or imaginative inclusion of new housing.”
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
“We do consider affordability, though high house prices are no barrier to inclusion - as long as they provide value for money. Different people may be looking for different things, but what all our best places have in common is that people love living in them and are proud to call them home.”
The guide has again been sponsored by the mortgage lender Halifax, which has provided an average house price for each location. “Where you want to live is a very personal decision. We know it can be daunting whether it’s deciding where to buy your first home or making a move as your circumstances change. There can be lots to think about around what is right for you and your family. With a great range of locations suited for different budgets and family situations, alongside a great mix of both rural and urban locations, this is a great place to start,” says Kim Kinnaird, Halifax’s homes and protection director.