COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (228) issued by COI News Distribution
Service. 26 September 2008
A new report that
identifies ways to help councils manage high concentrations of
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) was published by Housing and
Planning Minister Caroline Flint today.
'Studentification' of university towns is a real
concern especially during the summer months when neighbourhoods
are left dormant because too many properties (Houses in Multiple
Occupation, HMOs) in one area are rented to groups of students.
For example students from Queens University, Belfast typically
live within a mile of campus and make up more than half of all
households in the area with some streets exclusively occupied by students.
The independent research sets out a series of cross cutting
measures that could tackle and stop the complex causes and
symptoms of concentrated student neighbourhoods. The measures
include new planning mechanisms and the widespread adoption of a
number of the best common sense local solutions that can be easily adopted.
* Prevent new enclaves by considering changes to the Use Classes
Order planning rules allowing for HMOs to be brought under greater
council control. This has already been adopted in Northern Ireland.
* Capping and controlling the distribution and the dispersal of
HMOs by using the local planning system to set up 'areas of
restraint', which have been shown to help balance
communities. Nottingham has already established a threshold of 25%
per neighbourhood.
* Universities and student unions should develop housing and
community strategies that include: community liaison officers;
student codes of conduct; neighbourhood helplines; and use of
authorised student accommodation agents to help protect students
from bad tenancy deals. Many universities have already invested
heavily in new student halls which could help ease pressures.
* Councils should target resources such as refuse/letting board
collections, street cleansing, fly posting controls at key times
in the academic year; establish landlord accreditation schemes;
link the demand with regeneration opportunities; work with
universities to consider purpose built accommodation; and make
better use of their HMO licensing and empty property powers.
Housing and Planning Minister, Caroline Flint said:
"It is not acceptable that current rental practices allow
unplanned student enclaves to evolve to such an extent that local
communities are left living as ghost towns following the summer
student exodus.
"Today's report has identified a series of proven steps
councils and universities can take to reduce the dramatic effects
of 'studentification' where Houses of Multiple
Occupation (HMOs) cluster too closely together.
"I also want to consider further how the planning proposals
might help councils change term time only towns into properly
planned towns that blend the student populations into well mixed
neighbourhoods that are alive all year round."
There are clear economic benefits from student populations. They
make a significant contribution to sustaining and regenerating
communities. But their dramatic growth in recent years has seen
this type of housing problem increase because students typically
group together to rent properties.
An over concentration of houses of multiple occupation in one
area can have a negative impact on the neighbourhood and local
public services. Student turnover is typically high, 52% in Leeds
for example, which can affect the sense of community as
increasingly student landlords opt to concentrate properties ever
closer together in university towns.
Cities including Liverpool, Loughborough, Leicester Nottingham,
Southampton and Bristol have reported more empty properties during
the summer meaning shops, businesses, community facilities and
pubs simply close down creating 'ghost towns'. In
addition there can be anti-social behaviour, litter and parking
problems during term time.
Minister for Students Baroness Delyth Morgan added:
"We continue to work with universities, student
organisations and Communities & Local Government to help the
higher education sector address issues related to large
concentrations of students living in local communities, where they
exist. "There is good practice in the sector and sharing it
amongst institutions will help give students the opportunity to
make a positive contribution to the areas in which they live, as
well as ensure they have access to good quality accommodation."
The ECOTEC report is part of wider ongoing work, including the
independent review of the private rented sector, which is focusing
on improving overall standards in the private rented sector and
the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants. The
findings of this report will be taken forward for further
consultation that could lead to legislative changes.
Legislation has already been introduced in 2006 to make licensing
for certain types of privately rented HMOs mandatory in order to
guarantee minimum management standards and property conditions.
The new Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme is also helping tenants
keep their deposits secure - almost a billion pounds have been
effectively safeguarded in its first year.
Notes to Editors
1. The report: Evidence Gathering - Housing in Multiple
Occupation and possible planning responses can be found at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/evidencegatheringresearch
2. A major review to improve the private rented sector was
launched in January by the CLG. The independent review looks at
what problems tenants and landlords face and what works well in
the sector and will conclude next month. http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/670940
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