Communities cannot sustain these numbers

We too in South Leamington are protesting. We have, over a recent number of years, seen any affordable property fall into the hands of property developers and landlords who supply the university and colleges with student accommodation.

We are quickly losing our community and family houses are lost to student HMOs. My own children cannot now find accommodation locally as greedy landlords gain higher rents from students, who pay no council tax. The permanent community is suffering. The local plan refers to the need for affordable and social housing. We have that in South Town but it is being taken from us. We have seen huge developments that are pushing our access to open spaces further. In my own street alone, a one sided Victorian side street of 65 houses, there are 13 properties licensed for multiple occupancy totalling 88 students and many more properties let out to multiples of students. A community cannot sustain this amount of transient young people, let alone sleep at night.

Perhaps a solution would be to build a campus, in the north of Leamington, near the university and release the family and affordable homes that are rapidly being taken from us. - Jak Sheridan, address supplied.