Residents battle to stop more student housing being built in Leam

Warwick District Council refused planning permission for 72 new student bedsits to be built in Leamington Spa.

This came after residents in the surrounding streets of the proposed site, located in Chapel Street of Old Town, complained that more student accommodation would lead to an unbalanced community where there would be too many students.

They also claimed that the society in Leamington Spa would no longer be stable as there would be a transient population.

The building firm A. C. Lloyd put forward the proposal to turn its headquarters, originally a block of offices, into student accommodation.

A government planning officer turned down a further appeal by the company, despite claims that there was a high demand for more student accommodation in the Old Town area of Leamington Spa.
The officer said: “The proposal would result in an unacceptable concentration of such uses so as to cause harm to the local area and thus fail to contribute to creating a sustainable, inclusive mixed community.

“The potential for noise and disturbance both from the site itself and within the wider area as a result of an increased student population, inappropriate waste storage and the potential for anti-social behaviour and crime are particular issues highlighted.”

He also noted that that was already a high number of student houses in this location.

However, Saira Bentley-Holder, first-year English Literature student, told the Boar: “I think they should have built the bedsits because it gives students more choice of accommodation.

“I don’t see how it would change the Leamington community that much, as it is already a vibrant student town with a lively night life.

“As Leamington is a small town anyway, more of a student presence livens it up a bit!”

Bruno Eurich, who lived in the area for almost nineteen years, was one such person who protested against the proposals: “We are not against students, but we are against having unbalanced communities. Some streets are 80 percent students.

“We were disappointed that A C Lloyd, a local developer, would propose an intensive development that would have an adverse impact on the area.

“The onus has very much been on residents to discover these applications and then organise objections.

“The council is working on a policy for this kind of development but it is something that should have been done ten years ago.”