New figures reveal how growth of student housing has altered parts of York

NEW figures have revealed for the first time how much some York neighbourhoods are now dominated by student tenants.

In one street, more than half of all houses are now solely occupied by students and across the city, the total number of student households has risen from 1,869 ten years ago to 2,375 last year.

Because student households are exempt from council tax, City of York Council lost £2.7 million in such tax last year, compared with £850,000 a decade ago – although the authority was compensated through Government grants.

The growth in student households has prompted complaints that some traditional communities are being eroded, and it emerged today that City of York Council may use new powers to set quotas and restrictions on such “houses of multiple occupation” (HMOs).

The Government announced in January that landlords could be forced to apply for planning permission to establish a new HMO.

Steve Galloway, the council’s executive member for city strategy, said officials had been considering the proposed changes and had also been in discussions with representatives from York’s letting agents group.

He said: “I would anticipate that the council will be able to consider later in the spring how it may be able to use the new powers announced by the minister.

“I do personally accept that in some streets the general environment can be adversely affected if a large proportion of dwellings are occupied by relatively short-term tenants. The situation can be exacerbated if a landlord fails to monitor activities at the tenancy and to proactively manage properties.”

The statistics were obtained from City of York Council under a Freedom of Information request by Osbaldwick Parish Council, made on behalf of a resident.

Parish council chairman Mark Warters said: “It’s like the invasion of the house-snatchers. This is damaging neighbourhoods, and it is also soaking up what could otherwise be affordable housing, thereby raising pressure for development on greenfield, greenbelt sites, such as land either side of Metcalfe Lane in Osbaldwick.”

He accused the council and universities of shirking their responsibilities.

A council spokeswoman said when properties were solely occupied by students, exemptions were built into the Government’s tax-base formula to determine the level of general grant issued to the authority.

She said the list did not include any addresses where one person was a student and others were working or claiming benefits.

Changes in Siward Street

SIWARD Street, a terraced street off Hull Road and near the University of York, is pinpointed in the new figures as one of the most heavily student-occupied roads in the city.

The stats show that 29 out of its 50 houses are solely occupied by students.

Pensioner George Bradley, who has lived for 45 years in the street, said: “It’s terrible. They put out too much rubbish, and leave half-empty bottles and glasses on walls.

“Everybody used to talk to each other in this street, but not any more. It should be restricted.”

Neighbour Mary Coppock, who has lived in the street all her life, said it had changed massively over the past ten years.

She said people used to chat on the doorstep, but the arrival of large numbers of students had led to the street losing some of its neighbourliness.

Lauren Maskell, 21, said she moved to Siward Street because of its close proximity to the University of York, where she is a third-year student. “It’s only ten minutes walk from uni, and there are shops nearby.”

Universities insist they are providing homes

UNIVERSITY bosses insisted today they were providing new accommodation to meet the growth in student numbers.

The University of York said it was committed to providing accommodation to support its campus expansion, Heslington East.

A spokesman said: “We cannot compel students to live on campus, but in the last three years we have provided nearly 1,000 additional bed spaces. The new Goodricke College, which has more than 600 beds and features a range of social and welfare facilities, includes a mix of lifestyle options, such as six-bedroom flats and eight-bedroom townhouses, to provide a real alternative to the private market.

“It is part of our strategy to attract more second and third-year as well as postgraduate students to return to live on campus.”

He said it was impossible for the university to exert direct influence on the open housing market, which reflected increased student numbers in the past decade.

York St John University said more than 40 per cent of its students were mature, with many coming from local communities.

A spokeswoman said: “We have also been working in partnership with Harrisons to provide new multi-million pound purpose built flats and studios for students. Grays Wharf, off Navigation Road, opens this September, which, along with Percy’s Lane residences, will be providing housing for more than 500 of our students.”

She said the university valued good relations between students and residents.