Planners are to blame for student ghetto

When I moved to Russell Terrace, 12 years ago, I welcomed the diversity that characterised the resident population. There was a buzz that comes from a healthy mix of owners, businesses, renters and students that lived in the area. I accepted that there would be pressures on parking and a certain amount of late night noise that is to be expected when young people are around. If I wanted total peace and quiet, I’d have bought a house in the country. The benefits derived from living close to the town centre and the associated amenities, far outweighed the occasional problems.

However, the gradual conversion of properties to HMOs (house of multiple occupancy) status, for student occupation, has accelerated to such a degree that it is changing the character of the area and turning it into a student ghetto. The houses in Russell Terrace that have already been given HMO status, or are seeking planning permission to do so, will put even more pressure on resident parking.

The huge student development across from the railway station has 207 beds with only 38 parking spaces, the AC Lloyd proposal to build a 72 bed student residence in Chapel Street, with only 20 allocated parking spaces as well as 49 Russell Terrace, that has been sold subject to planning approval to convert to an eight bed HMO with only three parking spaces, is really going too far.

Students at Warwick University are not allowed to park on campus. Where are they going to park their cars if not on the streets of Old Town? It is, absolutely, not their fault. It is a failure of the planning process. I have no faith that WDC can stop the conversion of family homes to HMO status. To be fair, they tried with 54 Russell Terrace, a 16 bed student development, only to have their refusal overturned on appeal.

The introduction of unrestricted echelon parking in Russell Terrace should have helped; instead it has become a free car park with people flying off to their two weeks in the sun leaving their cars, safely and charge free, with us.

The echelon parking makes the street look overcrowded and is, in my opinion, unsafe. I rarely use it, because I am small and cannot see when cars are coming – it is very scary manoeuvring out.

What to do? Keep fighting, sell up (try to maximise the selling price, of my property, by applying for permission to convert to HMO status) or, alternatively, we could ask Warwick University to buy up the whole area and turn it into a student dormitory. - Mary Banks, Russell Terrace, Leamington.