Most of Birch Vale, including the attached hamlet of Thornsett, comes under the administration of New Mills Town Council, though the small part to the east of the former Grouse Inn public house is within the boundaries of Hayfield.

There are no shops, but two surviving public houses: the Sycamore Inn and Printers Arms in Thornsett.

[2] Until 1970, Birch Vale railway station was an intermediate stop on a branch line from New Mills Central to Hayfield, with through trains to Manchester Piccadilly.

The nearest railheads are about two miles away:[4] There are frequent bus services to New Mills, Hayfield, Glossop, Buxton and Stockport; routes are operated by High Peak Buses and Stagecoach Manchester.

[5] In the early evening of Friday 2 October 2009, a large explosion was heard by residents as the Stirling Lloyd factory on a local industrial estate caught fire.