Tents and towers highlight Cardiff’s housing crisis
PLANS for a 17-storey student accommodation block near to where homeless people are sleeping in tents have heightened awareness of a housing crisis in Cardiff.
Specialists warn the city is being saturated with high-density student schemes, which can generate higher land prices, at the expense of homes for thousands of others who want, and need, to live in the Welsh capital.
For months, leading property consultants Bruton Knowles has been calling for the formulation of a full strategic planning policy to shape delivery of student accommodation over the next five years.
Recent news headlines have thrown the extent of Cardiff’s housing issues into even sharper focus, and prompted Bruton Knowles to renew its plea to city planners.
Earlier this month Vita Student submitted plans for a 17-storey student accommodation scheme in Park Place, which would provide 366 studio apartments.
The application was made within weeks of homeless people setting up tents clustered behind bushes close to Blackweir Bridge, Sophia Gardens and in Callaghan Square.
Caroline Jones, from Bruton Knowles’ Cardiff office, said these stark contrasts highlight the need for a new policy which seeks to balance the needs of students and the homeless.
She said: “Surely it makes sense that if someone is planning to create a towering multi-storey residential development in the heart of the city that even just two or three of those levels should be devoted to new and affordablehousing for those who want, and need, to buy or rent it.
“It’s simply not right that the proliferation of student accommodation schemes is forcing other people to feel that they have no choice but to sleep in tents by the roadside.
“This, in itself, is not conducive to the collective desire to create an attractive, thriving, vibrant, city. The planning strategy needs to more fairly address all the housing requirements, not just those of students.”
Current rules allow developers of student accommodation to outbid private housebuilders and social housing providers on city centre sites, because their high-density schemes can generate higher land prices with limited, if any, open space or parking provision.
Whereas private developers are obliged to provide affordable housing on site, which can affect the viability of their plans, or make a financial contribution to affordable housing being built elsewhere, these rules are not imposed on student scheme developers.
Caroline added: “With student scheme developers able to outbid them on city centre sites, residential developers are being pushed out towards the suburbs, which means more people having to commute into the centre, causing even greater congestion.
“There’s a desperate shortage of private residential property being built in the city centre, and the authorities really need to take an urgent look at this and seek to redress the balance.”
From a planning perspective, one potential policy initiative that might help mitigate such issues in Wales, could be the adoption of permitted development rights for office to residential conversion as has been successfully established in England since 2013. While not without its own problems, such a policy could counter the current imbalance between student and residential development in Welsh city centres by equalising the requirements for parking and affordable housing provision. It could also help to create a more diverse resident city centre population.
For advice contact caroline.jones@ brutonknowles.co.uk or call 029 2002 8800.