A DISGRUNTLED homeowner today hit out after developers got permission to enlarge the "student ghetto" in his street.

Residents living in the Badger Hill area of York have long lamented people buying properties in their area and converting them into houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) for use by students.

City of York Council recently granted permission for another such conversion, in Kimberlows Woods Hill, and neighbour Alan Richards today criticised the trend.

He said: "There has been a lot of this going on, and a lot of people have put their hands up and accepted it, but we have not.

"We were keen this time to get it limited."

Mr Richards, 50, said the council did not respond to objections made by himself and his wife, and suggested the council was under pressure to "appease builders".

He said they were waiting to hear the result of the planning decision, when the next thing they knew the work had started without them being told.

Mr Richards said: "My wife was woken by the sound of a couple of JCBs and a skip being dumped on the nearby driveway. Planning permission was cleared and work was starting, the builder said."

He said he was annoyed that builders had been on his property, damaging a bush and paving stones, but his main gripe was that young families were being driven out by buy-to-let investors.

He said: "We were here with a young family wanting somewhere safe to play. But it's just not possible anymore."

Mr Richards said they had never had problems with the students who had lived in the street, and added: "It's the money-grabbing people that want to put half a dozen extra rooms in a house that get me."

A council spokeswoman said the authority had received responses from Mr Richards and his wife and had acknowledged their input.

She said: "A report by officers acknowledged the objections received and set out the relevant planning issues so that a decision could be reached.

"There is no pressure to appease builders' and applications are determined on planning grounds only."

She said the applicant had a duty of care to other properties, but providing the conditions of approval were met, they could not enforce remedial works.

The Press was unable to make contact with the applicant for comment.