Meet the locals: What your neighbours really think of you

Are we really that bad?


You’ve spent the term so far moaning about living next door to a young family/old biddy, but what do they think about having to live next door to rowdy students?

With tensions at an all time high, the locals aren’t coping well with living in a student dominated suburb. Just earlier this year there was a campaign to get students booted out of Selly, and the council have made plans to restrict areas where student accommodation can be built.

We’re left feeling a bit forlorn: surely we’re not that bad?

Maybe we are

A male resident and landlord on Tiverton Road, who has lived in Selly Oak intermittently for his whole life, described living in Selly as “fine during Easter, Christmas and summer”.

However he was quick to say noise is the key issue, describing it as “torture”.

He said: “There are constantly girls shrieking, sounding like they’re being murdered.

“One day it’ll happen for real, and no one will pay any attention as we are all so used to it now.

“It’s definitely getting worse.”

The police and are now dealing out ASBOs to anyone who receives three noise complaints from local residents, or fellow students.

A couple living on Hubert Road agreed this is their biggest concern.

They said: “The main issue is the noise late at night.

“We expect it to be a bit rowdy sometimes if students are having drinks next door before they go out, but when it carries on past midnight, it can be a problem. We have jobs to go to the next day.

“We have had to ask students in nearby houses to keep it down a few times over the years.”

Not so peaceful during the night

Predrinks often gets noisy

But after speaking to another resident on Heeley Road, it appears where you live determines the experience of Selly Oak.

An anonymous female resident who has lived in Selly Oak as both a student and now permanently as a post-graduate,said: “This cul-de-sac is probably 50/50 with students and residents so there’s not really a noise issue.

“We did have students next door last year and they had their music a bit loud sometimes but it wasn’t much of a problem.

“To be honest it was probably more of an issue when I was a student myself and lived on Dawlish Road.”

She seemed surprised by the campaign to get students out of Selly Oak, showing it is not the case that all residents share the same problems as their neighbours.