Cannon Park "swamped by students", residents complain

[dutchman]

Residents say a Coventry estate has lost “all sense of balance” due to the rising number of student properties there.

They say nearly a quarter of the 500 homes on Cannon Park are now occupied by young people studying at Warwick University.

And there was standing room only as more than 100 residents attended a public meeting on Monday night to discuss the issue.

They say family homes are being snapped up by greedy landlords and converted into properties with extra bedrooms to maximise rent.

Many student houses are not properly maintained, and there are problems with noisy late-night parties, litter, abandoned cars and discarded shopping trolleys, it was claimed.

Mike Parsons, acting chairman of Cannon Park Community Association, told the meeting at St Joseph The Worker Church, in De Montfort Way: “Cannon Park was built 40 to 50 years ago for families whose children went to the school down the road.

" The community in those days was great, there was a really good balance and a strong community spirit.

“What we see now is the housing stock being denuded by developers, and the university has had a big input by encouraging these houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

“We are not against the students, we are against the university who have vast tracts of land. Why they cannot build properties on their own land I do not know.

“Another big issue is negligent and absentee landlords who could not care less.

“Something needs to be done about controlling these people. They cram the students in like battery hens.”

Mr Parsons said of the 511 houses on the estate, 117 were now student properties, and he claimed three-quarters of children at Cannon Park School did not live on the estate.

One resident told the meeting: “It’s changed, we’ve lost all sense of balance.”

The meeting was sparked by plans to convert a three-bed semi in Lichen Green into a nine-bed student house.

Residents signed a petition against that proposal and asked the city council what could be done to stop or limit the number of HMOs in the area in the future.

Council planning officer Tracy Darke told them: “I do understand some of the concerns expressed here.

“But it’s not straightforward, we have difficulties trying to deal with the problem as well.

“If you refuse an application just because you don’t like it, the landlord will appeal and get it granted.

“The key is getting a policy in place, and we are heading towards that.”

She said the issue was not confined to students, as there were many nurses and foreign workers living in HMOs in the city.

One argument for limiting future HMO developments is if they affect the character of an area.

A new rule also means planning permission must be sought to convert a house where six or more people will be living.

[dutchman]

Shopping centre car park set to be turned into 800-bed student block



Approval is expected for an 808-bed student accommodation block in Coventry, despite opposition from residents.

Developers ES Coventry Ltd are bidding to redevelop an existing car park off De Montfort Way, adjacent to the Cannon Park shopping centre.

The six-storey block and its multi-storey car park would provide “modern and high-quality accommodation to support both universities”.

Planners have recommended it is granted approval when it goes to a planning committee at Coventry council on Thursday, February 14.

That is despite 223 letters of objection over the number of students it would bring alongside the impact on neighbouring properties.

A petition of 110 signatures also objected to the plans, stating the structure is too high would be out of keeping with the character of the area.

The development would include a multi-storey public car park providing 422 spaces, a surface car park for 67 student spaces, 240 student cycle spaces, upgraded pedestrian and cycle links, and a new pedestrian crossing point on De Montfort Way.