WHILE streets are littered with rubbish amid bankrupt Birmingham’s bin strike – it seems inconceivable that the UK’s “third-world city” is home to one of the country’s most desirable postcodes.
Yet according to experts, B17 was worthy of a regional shortlist for the best places to live in the UK.
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The suburb of Harborne, three miles south west of Birmingham, has plentiful parks, top primary schools and leafy streets.
Its period-style houses, proximity to the city centre, community spirit and thriving food scene were cited as evidence of its allure, according to The Sunday Times list.
The high street is packed with trendy coffee shops and fancy chains like M&S and Waitrose – much to the delight of yummy mummies.
The Plough is a good spot for a night out and restaurant Tropea has just gained a Michelin Bib Gourmand award.
So The Sun went out to find out if Harborne really is one of the best places to live in Britain.
While residents could see the benefits, they were less than impressed with crime rates and the fact the high street has no McDonalds and no Wetherspoons.
Diane Fair, a retired legal PA, said: “It’s a nice place to live, but I am dumb-founded that it’s on a list of the most desirable.
“The high street is OK – there’s a Marks and Spencer, but it’s all restaurants and bars and coffee shops, and too many charity shops.
“Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t live here.”
Kam, 54, said: “There are plenty of fancy places to eat but we need the McDonalds back. That has gone and I don’t know why.
“Not everyone wants a £75 taster menu. There’s no butchers, no fruit and veg and the Halifax has gone too. I don’t know why people like it.”
And retired engineer Terry Williams, 72, visiting from nearby Quinton, spotted another potential downside.
“There’s no Wetherspoons,” he said. “But that is not really a problem because there are plenty of pubs and the Harborne Stores does pints for £2.80 on Mondays and Tuesdays.
“I would definitely live here, but it’s expensive. There’s a new build going for a million pounds up the road.”
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‘Great place to live’
Historically, Harborne has benefited from several advantages over other city suburbs.
For drinkers, it was not owned by the Quakers who dominated nearby Edgbaston and Bourneville in the 19th century, leaving Harborne to fill its boots with boozers.
They even have an annual Harborne Run pub crawl taking in between 10 and 15 pubs.
Even if I had the money I wouldn’t live here.
Diane Fair
It is also close to the city’s University and has the 1,215-bed Queen Elizabeth Hospital on its doorstep.
Vet Jacqui, 38, out with a pushchair, said: “You get a lot of doctors living around here.
“The schools are good, there’s a play café in the high street and a toddler group at the church.
“The pubs are mostly independent and the place is kept a lot smarter than a lot of places.”
Karen Shingler, 65, a hospital support worker out with her daughter and grandchild, said: “It’s lovely down here. It is really well looked after and loved by the residents.
“It has a farmer’s market every other week and they even have a carnival on the high street in summer. It’s a great place to live.”
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Crime levels for Harborne
Data for the last 12 months (from Mar 2024 to Feb 2025)
Anti-social behaviour – 199 (7.3%)
Bicycle theft – 16 (0.6%)
Burglary – 212 (7.8%)
Criminal damage and arson – 177 (6.5%)
Drugs – 42 (1.6%)
Other theft – 206 (7.6%)
Possession of weapons – 57 (2.1%)
Public order – 139 (5.1%)
Robbery – 55 (2%)
Shoplifting – 212 (7.8%)
Theft from the person – 12 (0.4%)
Vehicle crime – 311 (11.5%)
Violence and sexual offences – 1025 (37.9%)
Other crime – 45 (1.7%)
Her daughter Gemma Walker, 35, looking in the window of an estate agent, said: “It is expensive because it is such a nice place to live.”
The prices do reflect its popularity – a mid-terrace is on the market for £525,000 and even flats in blocks are over £300,000.
Its high street is dominated by places to do things – coffee, food, hair and nails account for most of the shops and charity shops crop up every few paces.
Retired cleaner Frank Cook, 77, visiting with his wife Mary, said: “We’ve come for the Home Bargains.
“We’ve had to get two buses to get here. You get a lot more shops up here than you do in Selly Oak and it’s a lot cleaner.”
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Considering Birmingham is now a byword for filth, Harborne’s high street looks spotless and its floral baskets are blooming.
Each morning, rubbish is collected thanks to the local Business Improvement District (BID) where outlets combine to provide extra services for the area.
Amy, 50, who works for local government, said: “I think the ease with which you can get to the city centre on the bus makes it more desirable.
“It has a village feel but it’s right in the middle of Birmingham.”
As well as a vibrant high street, Harborne has plenty of open space with a thriving sports scene.
There’s a cricket club, a celebrated hockey club, tennis courts and two golf courses – add to that two parks and a nature reserve and it is easy to see why it’s so highly rated.
But, these days, not all is as good as it seems.
The local Facebook group boasts 34,000 members – spend too long looking at the updates and a different picture emerges.
West Midlands Police recorded a total of 2,708 crimes in Harborne in the past year.
The largest proportion of those were violence and sexual offences (37.9 per cent) followed by vehicle crime (311 cases).
Tracy Harrison, 55, a hairdresser and long-term resident, said: “It is nice but there is a lot of crime around here, especially car theft, house break-ins and shoplifting.
“I see it on the local Facebook page and I know it from my own experience.
“My husband has had seven motorbikes and one car stolen in the time we’ve lived here.
“The salon was broken into and all the equipment stolen and a lot of the other shops will tell you the same story.
“People think that everyone has got money in Harborne so we get targeted. They even steal from the charity shops.”
UK’s ‘third-world city’
By Charlotte Bend, General News Reporter
BIN strikes in Birmingham are set to continue after union workers REJECTED their latest pay offer.
Unite announced that its refuse workers have rebuffed the council’s “totally inadequate” deal.
It means there is no end in sight for the chaos in Britain’s second-largest city where uncollected rubbish has triggered a major health scare.
Ongoing bin strikes have seen mountains of rubbish piled high across Birmingham as “rats the size of cats” continue to terrorise locals.
Military planners have been called in to help clear the overflowing waste that has strewn across the city since the union strike began on March 11.
The month-long crisis has seen thousands of tonnes of rubbish go uncollected and warnings of a public health emergency.
A major incident was declared by Birmingham City Council which also appealed to neighbouring authorities for assistance.
Angela Rayner has since stepped in and demanded help from the Army to provide logistical support.
It is thought the temporary provision will see planners assigned for a short period.
But her colleague, beautician Seema Klair, 46, says the problems are nothing compared to her home in nearby Smethwick.
She said: “They even stole the Christmas tree from outside my house. Smethwick is a very dirty place compared to Harborne.
“There are so many people there who have just come from abroad and do not care about the area.
“In Harborne they do care so the rats are not going to do as well round here.”
Bumi, 58, a lunchtime supervisor enjoying the music from a busker with a portable piano, said: “I travel through Harborne every day between my two jobs.
“The whole place is nice. I live near City Hospital where the dustbins fall over and no-one picks them up.
“The rats are happy, the cats are happy, the people not so much. That wouldn’t happen in Harbrone. They have pride in their place.”
Even homeless man, Darren Collins, 40, who sleeps by the Waitrose, could vouch for the locals.
He said: “It is a very friendly place. I am looking to find somewhere to live properly but at least round here people will stop and talk and I don’t get abuse.”
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