Controversial proposals to ban new houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in St Andrews will be opened up for public consultation tomorrow.
The plans, which have been castigated as “nothing more than inept social engineering” by the local students’ association, were drawn in up a bid to ensure the town centre does not turn into a “student enclave.”
Those backing the HMO ban warn that student-dominated areas are becoming “ghost towns” outwith the academic year. They also claim that families and young workers have been priced out of the town centre by HMO owners.
Although councillors welcomed the plans, the students’ association has launched a spirited campaign against the ban and president Owen Wilton insists it will be disastrous for both students and the wider community.
“The proposed HMO ban amounts to nothing more than inept social engineering,” he said. “It is wrong in principle, futile and even harmful in practice.
“HMOs were introduced to ensure tenant safety following a fatal flat fire in Glasgow, not to enable local planners to shuffle communities around the map.””Town versus gown”With a potential “town versus gown” battle brewing, members of the public are now being urged to have their say.
A spokeswoman for Fife Council said the consultation exercise would start tomorrow and end on March 23.
“The consultation will gather views and feedback on draft supplementary planning guidance for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in the central St Andrews conservation area,” she said.
“The guidance has been prepared to address specific issues in the town where housing stock is predominantly comprised of flats. The location has proven attractive to university students, resulting in a concentration of HMOs in the area.”
An outright ban on new HMOs in the area is chief among the proposals.
“The guidance aims to address some of the issues and it sets out a new policy against which all planning applications for HMOs in the central St Andrews conservation area will be assessed,” the spokeswoman added.
“The policy proposes that HMOs requiring planning permission in the area will not be supported. It would apply to new planning applications or proposals for change of use of existing properties only.
“It does not affect the availability and operation of HMOs already with the benefit of planning permission.”
The public are being told they have an important role to play and the council spokeswoman said, “By providing your comments and feedback you can help improve the final version of the document, which will help inform planning decisions on future proposals for HMOs in St Andrews.”
The consultation will be available online at www.fife-direct.org.uk