Calls have been made for a balance to be struck between Beeston's student population and its long-term residents amid concerns about people being "priced out" of the area. A debate has been held about the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in Broxtowe amid claims that housing is becoming "out of reach for ordinary working people."
HMOs are a popular form of accommodation for students and given Beeston's proximity to the University of Nottingham's Park campus, the number of HMOs has grown significantly in the town. A 2020 report said the number had increased by 100 across the previous five years.
Broxtowe's Conservative MP, Darren Henry, has now led a debate on the subject in the House of Commons. It comes following the close of a consultation on a new 'student living strategy' for Nottingham, where the city council and two universities are attempting to stop certain areas being "dominated" by students.
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But in terms of the situation in Beeston, Mr Henry opened his debate on Tuesday (May 16) by saying: "I make it clear that the student population has had an incredibly positive impact on Beeston... They bring revenue to local businesses, as well as support to our night-time economy.
"However, a balance must be struck between the student population and local residents, who are often losing out on resources and facilities in order for further HMOs to be created. That is not fair on those families who have resided in Beeston, often for generations."
One of the key steps taken in Beeston in recent years around student accommodation was the introduction of an 'article four direction'. Development rights allow small homes to be converted to an HMO for up to six people without a planning application.
Introducing an article four direction removes that right and means planning permission is needed. Broxtowe Borough Council's direction came into force on March 26, 2022, covering parts of Beeston and Beeston Rylands.
Giles Inman, the business development manager at EMPO, the largest landlord's association in the East Midlands, believes the article four direction should be enough to address any potential concerns. He also says there is a strong demand for HMOs, rather than purpose-built student accommodation, as students want to live among the friendship groups they have formed at university.
He said: "Not all students want to live in these institutionalised buildings that they keep putting up. Many want to live in accommodation where they have their own garden, their own open space, and sadly purpose-built student accommodation does not provide that.
"These landlords own these HMOs because they are running a student accommodation business, and I personally think we should be proud of the two universities we have and the money that they bring in. The council does have article four and so if it does have concerns about the type of accommodation being built, it just needs to enforce article four properly."
But Labour's Councillor Milan Radulovic, who is set to be officially re-elected as Broxtowe Borough Council's leader at a meeting on Wednesday (May 17), said: "The article four regulations are very slow, very cumbersome and very prescriptive.
"It should have far more flexibility for the areas concerned to make decisions, rather than applying the same guidelines across the country." Councillor Radulovic agreed that there needed to be a greater balance between student accommodation and other types, saying that many had been "forced out" of Beeston.
He added: "I'm delighted that Darren has raised this because we at Broxtowe Borough Council have been raising concerns for the last four years and it's even been the topic of conversation at public meetings as long as 10 years ago." During the House of Commons debate, Darren Henry added: "Due to the long period that it took for article four to be finally approved, developers had plenty of time to take advantage of the lack of restrictions, with only the warning that regulation was on its way.
"Many feel that irreversible change to Beeston's community has indeed already taken place, rendering article four a moot point." Rachel Maclean, the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, said she would be happy to meet Mr Henry to discuss concerns around current regulations.
The minister added: "I agree with him, of course, that students offer a huge amount of benefit to a local area, bringing income and bringing vibrancy, but that changes the character of an area, and in policy terms it is a question of balance and ensuring that everybody who lives in a community feels heard and represented."
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