Residents' anger at meeting over new student accommodation
03-27-2016
Around 150 Falmothians vented their anger at town and Cornwall councillors, university top brass and "unelected officials" as they met to organise resistance to increasing student housing.
The residents packed into Falmouth Rugby Club on Tuesday night to plan how they will tackle plans for a new development of around 125 beds which has been slated for the site of the Rosslyn Hotel.
However many were also keen to discuss the wider issue of student housing in Falmouth, including multi-occupancy housing and possible plans to build on the coachworks site in Penwerris Lane and the Quarry car park.
Residents' anger at meeting over new student accommodation
The meeting was chaired by Di Coffey, who said she looked around her home town and "found out how it has changed - and not for the better."
She said the residents did not want to pick a fight with the students, but instead wanted to show their disapproval to the university which planned to increase student numbers without providing on-campus housing, and councillors who failed to represent their constituents in opposing further expansion. Meanwhile she claimed some locals are "crowded up, with three generations in one house, sharing two bedrooms."
She said convincing the university to build on the campus would provide students with safe, purpose built accommodation and stop them being exploited by landlords, while freeing up housing stock and pushing down house prices.
David Saunby, a town councillor who also represents Trescobeas ward on Cornwall Council, said the university "don't give two hoots about Falmouth as long as they get what they want."
He told the meeting that if Falmouth and Exeter Universities successfully apply to raise the cap on students at Falmouth and Penryn from 6,300 to 8,600 by 2020, around a quarter of the two towns' population will be students, and said they "need to take more responsibility and build more accommodation on campus."
He also pointed out that the university was only currently providing accommodation for first years, whereas they needed to start building for second and third years too.
Residents expressed anger at what they see as the unregulated way in which landlords let properties to students, saying they should all be licensed, while one said the Falmouth Town Council should "bring in article four (a clause requiring planning permission for multiple occupancy housing) straight away." It was pointed out that although this was in the process of being finalised, it could not happen straight away.
Resident Colin Newman said the protestors needed to focus on defeating the Rosslyn Hotel plans first, before turning their gaze on the wider issue, and urged everyone present to individually contact all councillors on the town's planning committee to argue against the proposal.
Mr Saunby said there was no point as yet, as a planning application had not been made, but Mr Newman said it writing now would mean councillors were clear on local opinion, and added: "It's very easy to win a planning application if you have the right information."
As well as university bigwigs, residents were angry at town councilors. One said: "We should be having a bigger say. One councillor last week said' if it goes to planning and we think it's right for this town, it's going ahead. '
"It's about time they realised it's our town."
Following several suggestions, including the Rosslyn Rebels and the Falmouth Defence Committee, it was decided that an action group would be formed, called Save Our Falmouth.
The consensus at the meeting seemed to be that letters needed to be written objecting to plans for the Rosslyn, but as no formal application had been made no-one seemed certain who to write to.
One person said: "If it gets sent to the university it will go straight in the complaint box." Another suggested writing to MP Sarah Newton.
It was agreed that everyone needed to write to Cornwall Council's chief planning officer, and Ms Coffey gave a list of grounds for objection which she felt should be used in each letter.
They were: Parking for the occupants, and for visitors; added pressure on local facilities such as doctors and dentists; traffic; lack of a warden on site after 5pm; noise; the site being located too close to the hospital, which would disturb patients; overlooking neighbouring properties; setting a precedent for further development; and devaluing house prices.
It was also suggested that copies were sent or delivered to the town clerk, Mark Williams, at Falmouth municipal buildings.
Mr Saunby said anyone feeling strongly could also write to their local councillor ahead of a meeting with Falmouth University on April 11, to get them to ask a question of the university representatives.
It was agreed that he would set up a Facebook page for the group, and another meeting has been arranged for Tuesday, April 26, to which university representatives will also be invited.
Councillor Brod Ross, who was also at the meeting, said there was no guarantee that the university would attend, to which one resident responded: "I don't think we should allow them to decline."