Friar Park & Stone Cross
vs Newton & Valley
Newton & Valley has the younger population: 18% of residents are aged 15–29, against 17% in Friar Park & Stone Cross. Homes in Newton & Valley sold for a median of £241,000, 4% above Friar Park & Stone Cross. Newton & Valley has more green space nearby (17% within 500 m, against 16%).
People
Friar Park & Stone Cross has 13,794 residents in 5,352 households; Newton & Valley has 13,337 in 5,301. Newton & Valley has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 18%, 3.3 percentage points more than Friar Park & Stone Cross (Sandwell: 15%). Newton & Valley has the higher share of people living alone: 29%, 1.7 percentage points more than Friar Park & Stone Cross (Sandwell: 29%).
Homes and prices
In both, semi-detached houses are the most common type of home: 59% of homes in Friar Park & Stone Cross and 65% in Newton & Valley. Newton & Valley has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 71%, 19.3 percentage points more than Friar Park & Stone Cross (Sandwell: 54%). Newton & Valley has the higher share of private renting: 16%, 5.1 percentage points more than Friar Park & Stone Cross (Sandwell: 19%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £231,000 in Friar Park & Stone Cross and £241,000 in Newton & Valley, against £220,000 across Sandwell.
Surroundings
The share of land within 500 m that is green space is about the same in both (16% and 17%). A typical postcode has 58 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Friar Park & Stone Cross, and 65 in Newton & Valley. The typical postcode is 324 m from the nearest school in Friar Park & Stone Cross and 355 m in Newton & Valley. The typical postcode is 918 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Friar Park & Stone Cross and 1,490 m in Newton & Valley. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 99% of premises in Friar Park & Stone Cross and 96% in Newton & Valley.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 80 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Friar Park & Stone Cross and 89 in Newton & Valley, against 106 across Sandwell. Police.uk records crimes by approximate location, not by where victims or offenders live. Busy streets, shops, stations and nightlife record more. Figures are counts, not a measure of personal risk.
Sources: Census 2021 (ONS) · HM Land Registry Price Paid Data · official school registers · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Environment Agency · data.police.uk, 12 months to Aug 2026 · Ofcom Connected Nations
In brief.
Each ward in a few lines, from its own page.
Friar Park & Stone Cross is one of 24 wards in Sandwell, home to 13,794 people in 5,352 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £231,000 over the past two years, 5% above the Sandwell median. On average 16% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 7% below the Sandwell average.
Newton & Valley is one of 24 wards in Sandwell, home to 13,337 people in 5,301 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £241,000 over the past two years, 10% above the Sandwell median. On average 17% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — in line with the Sandwell average.
More comparisons.
Friar Park & Stone Cross and Newton & Valley next to other wards of Sandwell.