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


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 a combination of lack of care by students and often lack of due diligence by landlords, left this part of the town looking sad, uncared for and noisy.

 Not one to let this go, I managed to get 100 signatures on a petition (back in 2008) and forwarded it to James Plaskitt.  We also set up The New Street Forum which was the precursor to SoLAR.  We were very successful and very hopeful. 

 However, it was not to last. 

We held out until 2018, but by this time the noise, rubbish, lack of care for the community of homeowners, car break-ins and overall lack of positive movement by the council forced our hand and we decided to move.

I am saddened to hear that the situation continues and that voices of residents who love Leamington are still not being listened to.  I praise them for their continued dedication.  

Leamington will continue to lose families like mine, not because we don’t want to fight, but because our voices aren’t heard.  



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HMOs and the studentification of Leamington Spa

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