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HMOs and the studentification of Leamington Spa

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Professor Darren Smith has made a career out of studying the impact of students on towns and cities in more ways than one.  As a leading academic and geographer at Loughborough University, he has an impressive record of research, teaching and editorial achievements.  However, his reputation as an international expert rests on his identification of the phenomenon of ‘studentification’ - a term he coined himself and which entered the Macmillan English Dictionary in 2003 with the definition: “the social and environmental changes caused by very large numbers of students living in particular areas of a town or city”. Dense concentrations   His initial documentation of the problem was in his home town of Leeds where he noticed the ‘in-migration’ of students and the ‘out-migration’ of established residents: a change which caused ‘conflict and tensions’.  The classic trajectory of studentification including the appearance of dense concentrations of young people, the inflatio...

Where is the Green opposition?

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There seems to be much confusion (particularly on social platform, ‘Nextdoor’) about the political composition of Leamington, and which party is in favour of what stance when it comes to student accommodation. The former is easy to explain: There are NO Conservative councillors in Leamington.  So, in effect, Leamington is being presided over by a Tory-led council with no representation on its executive, which comprises councillors from everywhere else BUT Leamington. They literally have nothing to lose! However, and this is where it gets interesting. Brunswick Ward, which is Green, has the highest concentration of student accommodation and yet this is how the leader of the Greens, Brunswick councillor Ian Davison, replied to one of his constituents, Paul Cox, when he responded to his concerns (which we printed in a previous article): “I’m sure that all the councillors you’ve included in this email do care about this over-concentration of student accommodation… If I may finish with ...
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  A cry in the wilderness Dear Councillors, I'm sending this to you because I know you have a particular interest in the issue. But please share with your colleagues! Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA’s) and other Student Blocks in Leamington – how many are there, how big are they, where are they?......and does anyone in the Council care, or have a grip on this??   Headlines: There are 1,270 ‘bed spaces’ in Student Blocks across Leamington, including those under construction and/or with planning permission. Of these, an astonishing 996 – 78% of the total – are concentrated in just a very small area of Leamington i.e. within a half mile radius of the High St/Bath St/Clemens St junction. The great majority of these bed spaces – 1,157 or 91% - are in PBSA’s. However, there are also danger signs that ‘developers’ are looking at high-rent self-contained student flats (which don’t count as PBSA’s) – such as the application for a student block on Lower Avenue. Yet a...
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Freedom Day  For beleaguered residents of Leamington living in studentified streets isn't 1st August the real Freedom Day, for a short while at least?  Yes, it's that glorious time when HMO contracts finish and we have a month until the next lot move in.  Freedom to sit in our gardens without a background of culturally appropriated music, yelling into phones and general braying by the entitled youths who represent the country's future.  Freedom to not have our sleep disturbed by shiftless transients who don't get up the next day til their pizza delivery arrives.  Freedom to watch landlords listlessly poke around doing and spending the absolute bare minimum to get their dilapidated hovels/licenses to print money ready for the next lot.  Freedom to write therapeutic emails like this!  Paul
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Dear Councillor, Planning Application to create another student block (PBSA), at 3 Wise Terrace   This is written from the head and the heart of a long time resident of South Leamington. I’ve lived through the decimation of a lovely mixed and balanced community and its replacement by the ‘South Leamington campus’ of Warwick University.   I’m shocked by the standard, the failed ‘logic’ and the fatalism of the officer report recommending this application. It's absolutely clear that the application is against the Local Plan. It's way over the 10% HMO rule. It's not on a main thoroughfare. It's not in a mixed-use area.   Literally the only reason given for approval is that the outcome of two previous appeals allegedly point this way. The officer report claims that the circumstances are the same. Apparently you’re just meant to take the officer’s word for it, because nothing from those appeals is quoted or referenced. You’re not even given a link to give you a chance...

Responsibility and Community - HMOs and How My Eyes Were Opened

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I have lived in Leamington Spa for over 25 years, making my home in the town centre where I have always enjoyed the special qualities of town life. But in recent times things have changed. The quality of life for everyone has diminished. The look and feel of the town, its very nature, are changing – and not for the better. What has happened? Rubbish is strewn on the streets, noise and anti-social behaviour have increased, the whole ambiance has changed, touching all aspects of life. Parking is more difficult, homes run into disrepair, transience has grown. It all adds up to a general neglect and loss of community. What has brought this about? When I was first heard about “HMOs” I didn’t even understand what the letters stood for. I now recognise they hold the key to everything -- Houses in Multiple occupancy. An HMO is a furnished house or flat rented out to three or more unrelated people, who share facilities like bathrooms and kitchen. It’s the classic student shared house, let for a...

Not because we don’t want to fight, but because our voices aren’t heard...

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This is just one of the many testimonials we have received from Leamington Together supporters who have left the area because of HMO blight... I lived in New Street, South Town from 1998 – 2018 and loved New Street in terms of the house, the proximity to town and the creativity of the community that lived in this area. However, New Street, like many other streets with terraced houses in the area were bought by landlords for the sole purpose of converting them to HMOs – Houses of  Multiple Occupancy. This area of Leamington was taken over by HMOs in a twenty-year period and has changed the face of the oldest part of Leamington Spa for good. Initially, the changes weren’t keenly felt by the town, which in my view, allowed more HMOs. A lack of cohesive control allowed these beautiful houses and this beautiful part of the town to lose its creative community and with this it gained students who are by nature transient. The houses lost the care and attention due to them and ...