WHO EXPECTED STUDENTS TO LIVE LIKE TELETUBBIES?
The government has added nearly two million university and college students to the current generation of undergraduates – and now wants a special enquiry to solve the housing problems it has caused.
“It appears to be everyone’s fault but theirs” – says the Residential Landlords Association - whose members own over 100,000 private rented properties throughout the UK.
The latest phase of the enquiry – yesterday’s ‘Evidence Gathering’ report for the Department for Communities and Local Government – calls on local authorities, town planners, universities, the National Union of Students and professional landlord organisations to work towards a ‘best practice’ solution to the issue that’s been dubbed ‘studentification’.
Housing and Planning Minister Caroline Flint wants to control the clusters of student housing surrounding the country’s universities and colleges – which are said to create pockets of noise, anti-social behaviour and litter.
“But this very problem is a bi-product of a massive growth in the student population as a result of the government’s policy for more school leavers to be educated degree standard,” says the Residential Landlords Association’s lawyer Richard Jones.
“We’re not suggesting this is a bad thing but we are asking where the government imagined these youngsters were going to live and how they thought our university and college cities and towns were going to support them. Without the private rented sector there would have been no-where for them to spend their three or four year degree courses.
“The government now wants to herd them into purpose-built ‘barracks’-like halls of residence – which most of them don’t want to do after their first year and which, in any case, don’t exist yet in sufficient numbers.
“There are complaints of untidiness, noise and litter in student areas but which bit of this has come as a surprise? I’ve yet to see a generation of students that were in bed by 10pm and mowed lawns on a Sunday morning. Come on … which cabinet minister thinks that a student community lives like the Teletubbies?
“The government is also concerned that areas of cities like Liverpool, Loughborough, Leicester Nottingham, Southampton and Bristol turn into ‘ghost towns’ in the summer when students go home.
“But to move the undergraduates into halls of residence will lead to year-round destruction of many local economies where shops, bars, service business and community facilities have emerged to satisfy student needs.”
The Residential Landlords Association, however, welcomes yesterday’s ‘Evidence Gathering’ report proposals – albeit with reservations.
“We are concerned about proposals that could bring about new ‘change of use’ regulations to prevent domestic properties being modified for student letting,” added Richard Jones.
“But we do support the call for more consideration of the issues because we feel they can be addressed without changes in planning law.”