Student Housing and HMOs

The issue of HMOs/student housing and the impact it has on creating and maintaining balanced and sustainable communities has cropped up once again.

As with all these issues there are two sides to the story and we cannot simply point the finger at students and say they are to blame for all the problems in a community. We must work together for better solutions for everyone.

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Lobbying on HMOs Starting to Make Progress

Following a debate in the House of Commons yesterday on sustainable local communities Loughborough MP Andy Reed said he was pleased that sustained lobbying over the issue of HMOs in Loughborough looks like it 'paying off'.

Although Andy Reed was sitting on the Finance Bil at the time and was unable to speak in the debate he is now an Officer of the All Party Group set up to deal with 'Studentification' and has led a lobby from the Minister to Loughborough and taken the Loughborough partnership to lobby Phil Woolas and officials. He also lobbied Minister Phil Woolas prior to the debate. He said "In the response to the debate and in subsequent conversations with Ministers it is becoming clear that the Loughborough lobby is having an effect. On a major point of policy Ministers are moving in the right direction for the first time in 20 years! As we saw in the debate the ideas to change Use Class Orders was lobbied for under the previous Tory government and nothing happened. The same advice has been coming from officials for the last 10 years! But thanks to the power of Phil Woolas seeing for himself the impact of HMOs and the governments commitment to sustainable communities I sense a shift of policy. I think the Loughborough partnership approach has also impressed Ministerial colleagues. I will keep pushing at this semi open door"

(7th June 2007)

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Storer & Ashby Area Residents' Group and the Campaign for Sustainable Communities in Loughborough

This week (May '07) I took a delegation to lobby Local Government Minister Phil Woolas MP about student housing in the town. Accompanying me were local residents Stuart Mitchell , Hilda Puttick, Gemma Godfery Student Union President, Alison Barlow from Loughborough University, Dave Hankin from Charnwood BC.

The meeting with the Minister followed the visit of Phil Woolas to the town late last year. The delegation are calling on the government to make a change in the planning law to allow councils more say over the change of use of a house into a multiple occupation dwelling.

I thought the meeting went well. The technical civil servants have always remained the blockage on strengthening the law on this issue but I finally think we are making some political progress. I know Phil is sympathetic and wants to find a way forward. I also think it was crucial that we presented a united front to the Minister - all working together locally. I have also now become Treasurer of the All Party Group set up to deal with this issue at a national level.

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Background

Loughborough University has over 11,000 full time equivalent students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. It has an excellent record in both teaching and research as well as a worldwide reputation in several disciplines, notably engineering, sports science and social sciences.

The success and growth of the university has not only brought growing pains' but also real social concerns - especially within the central areas of the town. Some streets of houses which were essentially built as family dwellings have now been alsmost entirely converted into student let property. Whilst Loughborough as whole welcomes students the results of concentrations of student living presents a challenge to many of the agencies in the town. For example:

• Lack of all year round occupancy leading to opportunist crime.
• Lack of care for the presentation of properties and neighbourhood by some landlords and tenants leading to a degradation on street scenes.
• Noise at night disturbing residents who lead different lifestyles.
• Posting of 'To Let' signs as proxy advertising for the agents on student lets.

Besides these problems associated with concentration of students in certain streets, problems are arising as students travel back from town centre entertainment venues in the small hours. This can be understandable exuberance or worse, but the regularity and volume on both numbers and noise, is driving residents to despair.

For this reason several recent applications for night clubs and late night bars have been opposed by the Council.

A third issue has arisen relating to car parking, especially in streets next to the University Campus. This has been addressed by residents parking schemes and access restrictions.

My approach is to put as much pressure on the University and residents groups to resolve the problems mutually. If the problems cannot be resolved the planning, licensing and other authorities will have to act more decisively.
I support the establishment of the UK Sports Institute on the Campus and I am sure it will contribute greatly to the development of the town. We already, for example, have joint use of a marvellous 50m swimming pool on Epinal Way, as well as shared use of an athletic track through the Charnwood Athletic Association.

I believe the University must act more firmly to control cars and car parking. It must also find sites for accommodation on campus which can be properly controlled and will not dusrupt the lives of residents, many of whom have served the university in a range of capacities sinces its establishment.
I regularly meet with the authorities involved in these issues as well as representatives of the residents.

I have tried where possible to maintain an ongoing relationship between the parties, even when this has become strained. Falling out is not going to resolve what are real and difficult decisions.

March 2002

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The Housing Bill 2004

One of the ways to address some of the problems associated with the growth of Student Lets will through the licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupancy. I have helped lead the campaign for this to be included in the Housing Bill now before Parliament. I also pushed for HMOs with students to be included in the legislation. My questions can be found on the Parliamentary website http://www.parliament.uk.

I have also put a link into the Bill on the Parliament site below.

I will be meeting representatives of residents and housing charities to ensure that the Bill fully answers many of the current concerns as it passes through Parliament.

2004