Post 81 – 23/02/25 – Problem No.2 – High Densities Of Student HMOs (10 Minute Read)

+ Introduction

This is the second in a series of posts that looks at possible solutions to the problems caused by Royal Holloway’s expansion. This one looks at the proliferation of student HMOs.

As before, the problem will be identified and a proposed solution presented. We have also supplied some prescriptive guidance along with a rationale.

Please note that the primary focus of this post is to look at managing the quantity of student HMOs in the community. (We will look at the adverse impacts that HMOs have on the community, and the management of those problems in future posts.)

You are then invited to discuss the problem and the proposed solution in WNTTARH’s WhatsApp group, Forum. (See link to this group in the footnote.)

+ Definition & Identification

– In 2022, a report written by Runnymede Borough Council identified that Egham Town, Englefield Green East and Englefield Green West had a disproportionately high number of student HMOs when compared to other wards.

– Englefield Green West had 228, Englefield Green East had 142, Egham Town had 357. (See graph below.)

– The report continued by highlighting how high densities of HMOs can impact local communities adversely. The impacts included:

🏠 Increase in population densities resulting in increases in domestic refuse, litter (e.g. fast food and pizza boxes) and fly-tipping of unwanted household items (e.g. discarded beds/ mattresses, sofas and fridges.)

🏠 The removal of hedges, fences, gates, and gardens for driveways

🏠 The proliferation of ‘to-let’ boards

🏠 Unkempt gardens and yards

🏠 Dilapidated external residential facades and the disrepair of housing (depending on the landlord)

🏠 The exclusion of local families and low-income individuals and households from the local housing market

🏠 The replacement / displacement of local families by transient student populations

🏠 The marginalisation and polarisation of local families

🏠 The gradual closure of local crèches, nurseries and schools, and other community facilities

🏠 The loss of family-oriented public and private services

🏠 Higher levels of burglary and crime

🏠 The formation of a new sense of place, and a different type of ambience in the neighbourhood

🏠 Room arrangements and a lifestyle which can exacerbate noise nuisance (e.g. parties, higher occupancy levels in HMO)

🏠 The conflicts between the everyday living routines (e.g. timing of work, play and sleep) of established residents and many students

🏠 Increased car parking and congestion

Royal Holloway aspires to grow its student population from 12,000 to 15,000 by 2030. A 25% increase. Meanwhile, over the last 4 years, it has reduced the number of beds available to its students by 10%. This includes the recent closure of Kingswood Hall, approximately 500 beds.

🛌 2019/20: 3461
🛌 2020/21: 3172
🛌 2022/23: 3465
🛌 2023/24: 3099

– The Rusham Park Student Village has been put on ice whilst Royal Holloway reconsiders its purpose. (One of the reasons for the site’s development was to absorb some of the displacement from the closure of Kingswood.)

https://royalholloway-estateplan.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/RH-Estate-Plan-Rusham-Park-V2.pdf

– For many students, living in the community is part of the student experience.

– Students have complained to WNTTARH about the shortage of accommodation available to them and the prices being sought for rent.

– We have been informed by a local estate agent the following:

🏠 There is a chronic shortage of student HMOs available.

🏠 That there is increased competition amongst students to act quickly to secure the best properties.

🏠 Many tenancies are now agreed before the Christmas of the proceeding academic year.

🏠 Many landlords are reconfiguring their houses from family homes to HMOs as the yield is higher.

🏠 Landlords can achieve £750 to £1050 per room/ month.

🏠 The income realisable by landlords means that they can afford to outbid owner occupiers.

– Some students have highlighted to WNTTARH that living in the community is now only an aspiration as prices are now prohibitively high.

– Under current planning regulations, no planning permission is required to convert a property into an HMO unless the HMO will have 7 or more occupants. This is known as permitted development.

+ Solution

– To introduce an Article 4 Direction (A4D) throughout Egham & Englefield Green. (An A4D is a planning tool that allows local authorities to limit permitted development rights in certain areas. This means that planning permission is required for some development that would normally be permitted. A4Ds are often used to control the proliferation of student HMOs in order to protect local amenity and/ or the well being of an area.)

– The development of the Rusham Park site to deliver 1500 beds.

– The development of the Kingswood Hall site to deliver 500 beds.

– Royal Holloway to pause growth plans for student numbers until it has a grasp of its accommodation plan.

+ Rationale

– The implementation of an A4D could help distribute student HMOs more evenly in the borough. (In many other university towns and cities, students can expect to spend 30-40 minutes commuting to campus from university halls/ student HMOs.)

– An A4D would help prevent further family houses being converted into student HMOs helping mitigate the impacts highlighted in RBC’s report.

– And especially noteworthy here, the loss of family occupied homes results in a reduction of the numbers of children living in the community. This in turn impacts the viability of the local schools. This impact on the community is probably the most upsetting. Once a school closes it is unlikely to be re-opened. In the last 7 years, St Jude’s School numbers have declined by 37%. (In 2016 there were 316 children enrolled. In 2023, there were only 200. See graph below.)

– The development of Rusham Park and Kingswood Hall sites would help address the lack of accommodation in the market.

+ Conclusion

The lack of beds provided by Royal Holloway, combined with its growth strategy, has created a buoyant and profitable buy-to-let market in Egham & Englefield Green. But this has come at a cost to the local community.

If the university wants to continue to grow, it needs to review its accommodation plan. It would be irresponsible of it not to when knowing the socio-economic harm that high densities of HMOs can have on a community.

And it should also behave more responsibly here so that its students do not have to pay over-inflated prices.

The feather in the cap though: for Royal Holloway to highlight the need to build Rusham Park in order to provide more beds for its growth (and explicitly highlighting the business case around the displacement of students from Kingswood Hall) and then for it to mothball Rusham Park whilst going ahead and closing Kingswood is at the very least disrespectful to the community but also quite possibly scandalous. (We are looking as to whether this action is in contradiction to Royal Holloway’s Master Plan.)

Procrastination/ naval gazing is not good management. Royal Holloway needs (and indeed deserves) better leadership.

As mentioned, in the coming weeks, we will look at some proposed solutions to help mitigate some of the harms listed in the RBC report. E. g. Unkempt Gardens/ yards.

In the meantime, please see a piece from the BBC that looks at the problems that bins and parking can cause pedestrians.

So what do you think? Do you think the above is a fair assessment of the problem? Do you think the solution is pragmatic, fair and reasonable? As like last week, we welcome your thoughts in the forum.

Best wishes,

We Need To Talk About Royal Holloway

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