University chiefs and councillors are targeting student landlords in a housing strategy aimed at cutting the number of private rented shared homes in Chester.
Chester University and local councils are collaborating on a five year plan that will switch student housing from small houses in multiple occupation to halls of residence.
The university has around 15,500 students living in the city and expects the number to remain static for eight years, while the number of university bed spaces is just 1,037.
This massive shortfall is filled mostly by private student landlords letting small HMOs.
The housing initiative results from council appeals to the university to quell objections from residents over the number of private rented student homes across the city.
The ‘Development Framework’ is a blueprint for student housing in the city up to 2016.
The main university contribution is building new student accommodation on campus and not to support more private HMOs.
Launching the framework, Chester University vice-chancellor Professor Tim Wheeler said: “The framework is a position statement for the university as it is now and a series of predictions for the next five years, based on current knowledge.
“It provides what we hope will become a useful context, together with a set of principles, to be agreed with Cheshire West and Chester Council and to which the university will continue to refer in the management of its on-campus facilities and student accommodation.
“During debate about recent planning applications submitted by the university or developers, there has been ill-informed speculation about the university’s growth. This framework sets the record straight.
“In terms of student numbers and accommodation requirements, it is the university’s view, based on close analysis of the anticipated patterns of recruitment, undergraduate numbers will remain broadly static over the next five to eight years.”
