Report On The Presentation To The All Party Parliamentary University Group Meeting On Student Accomodation

Some background on Loughborough University:

• Educational Institution in Loughborough since 1909
• 1957 – College of Advanced Technology
• 1966 – University status granted – 1,850 students
• 2005/06 – 14,805 total student population

Loughborough University:

• Reputation for excellence in teaching and research, strong links with industry and sporting achievement
• Ranked 6th in 2006 Times University league tables
• Awarded 5 Queen’s Anniversary Prizes 
• Located in very heart of the UK in the East Midlands – Borough of Charnwood (Loughborough has a population of 57,500, with Loughborough based students around 20% of this total)

Why is the location of student accommodation sometimes controversial?

• Rapid growth in student numbers (current 50% target)
• No proportional growth in student accommodation due to funding and space constraints
• Demand for accommodation largely picked up by private sector – landlords/developers
• Market forces – communities close to Universities very popular for buy to let
• Resultant areas of high student density (studentification)

The extent of ‘studentification’:

• UUK commissioned report in partnership with SCOP and in association with DfES and ODPM. Published in Jan 06 it stated:
• “It is incontrovertible that the negative effects of ‘studentification’ are evident in several towns and cities across the UK” 
•  “2/3rd of HEI’s stated that local community groups had voiced concerns to them about the impact of students in their area”

What are these negative effects?

• Loss of balanced communities
• Exclusion of first time buyers
• Loss of family housing risk to local schools
• Proliferation of letting signs

More negative effects:

• Congestion and parking problems during term time
• Poor standards of property maintenance and repair
• Proliferation of fly posters
• Distorted retail market – pubs, takeaways

More negative effects:

• Accumulations of waste and rubbish
• Incidents of anti-social behaviour, particularly
• Increased levels of crime (students as targets)

What can Universities do? We have established:

• Community Relations Officer
• Community Wardens
• Security Patrols off Campus
• 24hr access to security
• Regular meetings with residents associations
• Disciplinary procedures
• Build more accommodation

We work with the Students’ Union to deliver:

• Students’ Union led campaigns (SShh!)
• Community awards
• Community Action
• Community Students Association
• Engage residents as student friends and mentors

Where can we go from here?

• We will continue to work with residents,
  but could more be done to support community cohesion by:
• The landlords?
• The developers?
• Local government?
• National government?

Responding – the work of local authorities:

• Some local policies covering student housing have been developed e.g. Loughborough and Leeds
• Encouraged purpose built accommodation for development sites
• Utilising powers provided under the Housing Act 2004 to control standards (appearance not numbers)
• BUT - Powers limited within existing planning legislation

Could planning do more?

• To promote balanced communities we need some way to control property use and development in areas of high student density
• Use Class Order
• Permitted Development
• Development Plan Documents/Supplementary Planning Documents

Use Class Order (UCO):

• For planning purposes properties are defined by their UCO
• Currently Class C3 does not distinguish between a family house and a student let (occupied by up to six people)
• Planning permission is not required where a small family house is purchased by a landlord and subsequently rented out to up to six students
• Could the UCO be amended to give local authorities the ability to control density?

Permitted development:

• Many extensions benefit from deemed consent
• Subject to certain limitations planning permission not required for extensions to dwellings measuring 50 cubic metres in respect of terraced properties
• No ability to control density
• Should permitted development be influenced by density?

A role for local authorities?

• Broad planning policies such as an SPD could provide the context within which planning applications could be judged 
• Loughborough SPD: Works on a threshold approach. If a planning application (6+ students) is made for an area where there is already 20%+ of student accommodation it will be turned down or conditions applied (e.g no student occupancy)
• Could planning policies be encouraged to address density where relevant?

A role for National Government?

• Consider changes to planning legislation that will allow consideration of density
• It has been done in Northern Ireland! 
• Is supported by Charnwood Borough Council
• Limiting student numbers will not be the answer
• Vital role of Universities in prosperity and well being

Managing student accommodation – last thoughts:

• It’s not about discriminating against students or landlords!
• It is about community cohesion – retaining balanced and harmonious communities which can thrive together
• It is about collaboration between National Government, Local Government, Universities (and students), landlords and communities