Housing threat
CITY Councillors are considering plans to move a number of 'vulnerable' groups away from the east of Oxford in order to achieve a more even spread of tenancies across the city. This could potentially have disastrous effects on students.
The plans could drive students away from popular areas such as Cowley, and also drive up rent prices throughout Oxford. It is likely that they would force more students to live away from the city centre and from the University's facilities.
In some of the street areas in question, 80% of the properties are let. Long-term residents, backed by councillors, have called for action, complaining that short-term tenants are rowdy and fail to look after properties.
Long-term residents have argued that crime is higher in the area because properties go unoccupied in the long vacation periods, and the above-average number of houses for let has led to pressure on higher house prices, effectively driving away permanent residents.
The 'East Area Parliament' has proposed designating east Oxford an "area of restraint", with limits on the number of houses let and tighter controls on the standard of the housing.
Progress, however, looks likely to be slow. Ms Elise Benjamin, Chairman of the East Area Parliament, admitted "it will be difficult to enforce without changes in Government legislation".
25th Apr 2002