Plans to tighten control over student accommodation in Bristol

Slammed as a “get out of jail free card” for developers, the influx in student accommodation is serving to exacerbate Bristol’s housing crisis.

With plans forging ahead for the creation of a new £300m campus for the University of Bristol at Temple Meads, the council is setting out a new approach to developments with the intention of protecting communities in the area.

Aerial view of the site for the new university campus

This comes after the issue was highlighted at a meeting in July 2017, where problems posed by the rapidly rising student population and the strain it is putting on already-stretched services, the housing market and displacement of communities were outlined.

Student numbers at Bristol University and UWE Bristol have increased by 18 per cent since 2006/07, with current numbers totalling some 41,000, and both institutions are expecting further increases.

While the economic, social and cultural benefits of the city’s two universities are widely recognised, concerned residents and councillors argue the current level of unchecked growth is unsustainable.

Marvin Rees and Nicola Beech

Nicola Beech, Labour’s cabinet member for spatial planning and city design, said: “When we are planning for the future and where Bristolians will live, we must think about the consequences of our growth and how we can support mixed communities.

“The surge in student numbers is bringing significant economic and social benefits. Many students fall in love with Bristol and make a life here and the level of higher education investment in Bristol is a big vote of confidence.

“At the same time, we know concentrations of student accommodation can displace or prevent genuinely balanced communities from flourishing.”

The changes being proposed are part of the latest review of the Bristol Local Plan, which outlines the council’s policies for deciding planning applications and acts as the key blueprint, directing development in the city over the next 20 years.

The new approach involves focusing on where student housing can be built and ensuring it is only in appropriate areas and won’t have a negative impact on the surrounding locality.

Beech continued: “These changes would give us extra controls to manage the expansion of student housing in Bristol, and in places like Temple Quarter, we would be able to give extra protection to family homes in areas such as Totterdown and Arnos Vale.”

The council intends to protect communities such as Totterdown and Arnos Vale that are near the new university campus

The revised Local Plan also proposes enhanced controls for Housing in Multiple Occupation (HMO) developments to ensure “harmful concentrations of student accommodation” do not occur. Planning permission would be required for all HMOs in the parts of Bristol where housing pressures are highest.

People are being asked for their views on proposed changes to the Local Plan.

These include setting out the ambition to ‘transform’ areas of the city, such as the Cumberland Basin and modernising infrastructure, increasing the number of new and affordable homes, building more densely, “diversifying the housing offer” with new property types and tenures.

Tackling the challenges of air quality, obesity and environmental quality are also listed as priorities.

Mayor Marvin Rees said: “This plan is a critical tool to help us guide development over the next 20 years and it will help us meet our commitment to building a better Bristol.

“We need to work together to deliver the homes and jobs we need, while protecting our spaces and ensuring everyone in our city benefits from our successes. Please take time to read our vision of the future development of our city so you can help shape the detailed policies it contains.”

View the Local Plan review consultation at www.bristol.gov.uk/ localplanreview.  Alternatively, reference copies are available to view at libraries. The deadline for comments is April 13 2018.

Read more: ‘University expansion inadvertently exacerbating Bristol’s housing crisis’