Residents call for ‘fairness’
ASPLEY residents have responded to a claim that rents have gone up £250 a month because students were moving into the area.
Councillor Graham Chapman, vice-chairman of Nottingham City Council’s planning committee, made the claim in a meeting about a new block of student flats set to replace the Bendigo building.
He said that students seeking cheaper housing on the outskirts of Nottingham had forced rents in areas such as Aspley to rise “from £450 per month to about £600 and £700 in the space of probably 18 months”.
But Aspley residents questioned the fairness of the situation, claiming that rising rents could prevent local people from finding places to live.
One resident, Andy Woodward, a 70-year-old construction worker, said: “I thought there were enough student properties in the city centre, with all those high-rise buildings being built.
“Accommodation needs to be going to people who need it the most, like the homeless.
“Students have late-night drinks and late-night parties. People have to get up for work around here.
“If students are going to live here they’ve got to bear in mind it’s a residential area.”
Sue Kirk, 60, shared his frustration, saying: “It’s enough of a struggle for everyone else to find an affordable house already.
“But you can’t blame the students. Accommodation is cheaper in the surrounding areas. There should just be a cap on what they charge for rented accommodation everywhere.”
Sympathising with students, one local mum, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “My son’s going to university at the end of summer and he’s got to look for a place to live.
“These students need somewhere to go. If it was my children who needed affordable accommodation then so be it.
“Student accommodation prices are ridiculous – they’re all just a money-making scheme.”
Another resident, Azad, who set up his shop, Azad Superstore two months ago, said it was a “bad thing for people that are very tight for money”.
However, he welcomed the idea of potential extra customers.
“It’s true that students may bring more business.
“I used to work at Amigo Pizza in the city and most of our customers were students, and 90 percent of them were no trouble at all.”
CONCERN THAT DEMAND IS DRIVING UP RENT LEVELS