What it's like to live in Blackheath

Sandwell has a strong social housing base: 26.6% of homes are socially rented, well above the England figure of 17.1%, with 21% council-owned. Just over half of homes are owner-occupied and 18.6% privately rented.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is by far the biggest landlord with around 27,700 homes, followed by Midland Heart, Black Country Housing Group, GreenSquareAccord and Stonewater.

Average weekly social rents in the borough for 2024/25 were £83 for a one bed, £93 for two and £105 for three. The council's waiting list stood at 19,108 households in March 2025, with 1,554 homes let that year and 103 swapped by mutual exchange, which is why an exchange is often the faster route.

There's a good spread of primary schools nearby. Highfields Primary is about 0.3 miles away and Blackheath Primary 0.4 miles, with Olive Hill Primary Academy, Temple Meadow and Hurst Green Primary all within a mile. Check current Ofsted reports and admissions before you commit, as catchments shift.

For secondary, Ormiston Forge Academy is under a mile, with Oldbury Academy, Perryfields Academy and The Earls High School all within about 1.6 miles.

Sandwell is a young borough: 22.1% of residents are under 16, above the England figure of 18.6%. Parks help here, with The Egg almost on the doorstep and Britannia Park, Olive Hill Park and Rowley Regis Park all a short walk or ride away.

Rowley Regis station is about 0.4 miles from the centre, with Old Hill roughly 0.7 miles away and Cradley Heath and Sandwell & Dudley a little further out. That gives you real choice on the rail line without needing a car.

Buses run from Darby Street in the middle of town and from stops around Station Road, so getting to neighbouring centres like Oldbury and Halesowen is straightforward.

On foot, Blackheath is one of the easier places in the borough: the shops, library, pharmacies and several pubs are all clustered together. If you drive, you're close to the wider Black Country road network, with Birchley Island Retail Park about 1.4 miles away.

The centre has a decent run of pubs and bars for a town this size, including The Last Jar, the Vine Inn, The Little Beech and Artisan Micro Bar, plus Bostin Darts 180 Bar if you fancy something different.

Blackheath Library is right in the middle, with Long Lane Library under a mile and a mobile and home library service covering the area. For exercise, Shape Up is a couple of minutes away and Pro-fitness and iAMDEFiANCE FiTNESS are both within a mile.

For bigger trips out, Halesowen town centre and the Cornbow Shopping Centre are under two miles, and Reel Cinema Quinton is about 1.5 miles away.

Sandwell's job figures are below the national picture, and it's worth knowing before you move. Across the borough, 53% of adults are in work compared with 57.4% for England, and unemployment sits at 5.3% against 3.5%. In August 2026, 6.7% of 16 to 64 year olds were claiming unemployment-related benefits, compared with 4% nationally.

The upside is connection. With Rowley Regis and Old Hill stations close and Sandwell & Dudley within three miles, commuting across the West Midlands is realistic without a car. Local retail, health services and schools are the visible employers in the town itself.