Fordbridge
Solihull 007 · 4 sub-areas · 6,388 residents
Solihull 007 is a residential pocket of Solihull in the West Midlands, home to around 6,400 people. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £1,050 a month — noticeably below the UK median for a 2-bed — though a high social housing concentration and a relatively low share of Good-or-Outstanding schools nearby set it apart from Solihull's more affluent neighbourhoods.
Fordbridge is a mid-density neighbourhood of Solihull in the West Midlands region. It sits between busier and quieter parts of the local authority and isn't dominated by a single use — there's a mix of workplaces, housing and local services. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in Fordbridge?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,258 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 4 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Fordbridge in Solihull
Living in Fordbridge
This part of Solihull has a distinctly mixed character. It's not the leafy, owner-occupied suburbia the borough is best known for — around two in five households here are in social housing, well above the Solihull norm, and the deprivation index puts this neighbourhood in the lowest decile nationally. That shapes everything from the local schools landscape to who you'll find living here.
On cost, it's one of the more accessible corners of Solihull. A 2-bed runs about £1,050 a month, which is slightly below the national median and meaningfully cheaper than the more prosperous parts of the borough. If you're weighing up Solihull against Birmingham city centre, you'll save on rent here while still being around 25 minutes from Birmingham by public transport.
The neighbourhood skews younger than you might expect. Just over a quarter of residents are under 18, and nearly a quarter are in the 18–34 bracket — so this is a relatively young, family-oriented population. Single-person households make up around a third of all homes. Degree-level qualifications are held by about one in six residents, which is below the Solihull and national averages — a reflection of the area's working-class character rather than a comment on ambition.
For day-to-day living, a car is effectively essential — nearly 58% of residents drive to work, and public transport accounts for fewer than 15% of journeys. The nearest rail station is roughly 1.4 km away (about an 18-minute walk), and there's no realistic metro or tram service within range. On the plus side, broadband infrastructure is excellent: 100% gigabit coverage with no properties falling below the minimum standard. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on how this neighbourhood breaks down.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Solihull 007 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're after. It's affordable by Solihull standards and has good broadband and decent rail access to Birmingham. The trade-off is a higher crime rate than the national average, a low share of Good-or-Outstanding schools nearby, and a deprivation profile that puts it in the bottom decile nationally. Better suited to budget-conscious renters than those prioritising school catchments or low crime.
- What is the rent in Solihull 007?
- A one-bedroom typically runs around £843 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,047, and a three-bedroom around £1,240. These figures are estimates scaled from borough-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose just 1% in the past year, one of the more modest increases in the area.
- Is Solihull 007 safe?
- Crime runs at around 132 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — noticeably above the UK average of roughly 80 per 1,000. The area sits in the bottom two deprivation deciles nationally, which correlates with higher crime rates. Safety varies across the neighbourhood, so it's worth looking at street-level data before committing.
- What's the commute from Solihull 007 to Birmingham city centre?
- Around 25 minutes by public transport. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 1.4 km away — about an 18-minute walk. Nearly 58% of residents drive to work rather than use public transport, so if you don't have a car, factor in that walk to the station.
- Who lives in Solihull 007?
- A younger-than-average population, with over a quarter of residents under 18 and around a quarter aged 18–34. About 40% of households are in social rented housing — well above the Solihull norm. Single-person households make up around a third of homes. Most residents were born in the UK, and about one in six holds a degree-level qualification.
- What schools are near Solihull 007?
- There are 90 schools within 2 km, but only around 35% are rated Good or Outstanding — significantly below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 1.1 km away. Check Solihull council's admissions pages for current catchment boundaries and the latest Ofsted inspection reports before making a decision.
- How affordable is Solihull 007 compared to the rest of Solihull?
- It's one of the more affordable corners of the borough. The median sale price is around £181,000 — well below the Solihull average — which keeps rents relatively modest. That said, rent still takes up around 49% of typical take-home pay, so affordability is still stretched even at these lower levels.