COUNCIL chiefs drawing up measures to tackle student ghettos have been accused of holding secret meetings with housebuilders.

Two weeks ago, Harold Stephens, the independent inspector leading the examination in public of Durham County Council’s 15-year economic masterplan the County Durham Plan (CDP), ordered an urgent rethink of its student housing policy, setting tomorrow (Friday, November 14) as the deadline.

Talks between planning chiefs and Durham residents and campaigners last Friday (November 7) led to hopes a deal could be reached.

However, when the council published its new draft policy, major disagreements remained – and it emerged officers had also met representatives of the development industry.

Those present at the November 7 talks say they weren't told of the other meeting despite it already taking place on November 5.

Durham City MP Roberta Blackman-Woods told the inquiry today (Thursday, November 13) those developers consulted were not representative and not examples of best practice and she would have been happy to have some present on November 7.

Graeme Smith, for the council, said he previously asked Mr Stephens whether he objected to a developers’ meeting, to which the inspector replied today (Thursday, November 13): “Hopefully you would have had one meeting rather than two.”

Mr Smith said the council put that to the industry, but representatives were unable to attend; and insisted the authority was trying to be as transparent as possible.

Dr Blackman-Woods tabled an alternative policy, committing the council to introducing an Article 4 direction forcing developers to apply for planning permission to convert a home into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), an Article 7 direction forcing landlords to apply for planning permission for To Let boards and an Additional Licensing Scheme (ALS) giving the council more powers to deal with misbehaving student landlords and banning new HMOs if more than ten per cent of homes within 100m were already HMOs.

The MP said her policy had “unanimous buy-in” across the city, including from Durham University.

However, the council stuck to its policy, saying it would consider evidence for an Article 4 direction and an ALS and is considering evidence for Article 7 and banning new HMOs in or within 50m of a postcode area where more than 10 per cent of homes are already HMOs.

Dr Blackman-Woods and Roger Cornwell, for the City of Durham Trust, called on Mr Stephens to suspend the inquiry to allow further talks.

However, the inspector said he would respond in an interim report by the end of January.

Earlier, Chris Lines, of Sedgefield Town Council, had appealed for the number of new homes earmarked for Sedgefield to be cut from 470 to 300 and David Kinch, of Teesdale Action Partnership, had called for more affordable homes to be built, particularly in rural areas.

The six-week inquiry at Durham County Cricket Club has now closed and all sides will await Mr Stephens’ findings.