RESIDENTS fighting to save their area from becoming a student ghetto are gearing up for their next confrontation, just days after suffering a major defeat.
People living in Whinney Hill, Durham, are preparing to fight a developer’s plans to extend 33 Whinney Hill - plans they say would see the property turned into a multiple occupancy student house.
The dispute will be aired in a planning appeal in May.
But residents’ continuing efforts have taken a knock with the news that their battle over another home has been lost.
Campaigners won a surprise victory in November last year, when Durham City Council threw out plans to extend 20 Whinney Hill - plans residents also argued would see it turned into a student house.
But papers for the new Central and East Durham planning committee of Durham County Council, reveal the owner has appealed and got permission for a two-storey pitched roof extension.
Ian Appleby, who lives in Whinney Hill, said: "We rather felt they would win on appeal. Sadly it was inevitable.
"But we felt taking it to development control committee would highlight the reasons for our objections."
Permanent residents of the area feel their community has passed "student saturation point", with about 80 per cent of homes occupied by Durham University scholars.
They say to restore a balance, houses must be made available to families.
Mr Appleby said: "Durham is turning into a landlord’s haven, where they can produce houses for commercial gain.
"When I moved back ten years ago, people would buy two to three bedroom houses and rent them to students in their original configurations.
"Now they have seen the potential of putting rabbit hutch rooms in and cramming in four, five or six students.
"It causes massive problems to the long-term residents. It’s practically unbearable on a night.
"We’re not attacking students. They can be integrated into communities. But Durham is a city with a university, not the other way round."
The planning appeal on 33 Whinney Hill will be held in Durham Town Hall on Wednesday, May 27.
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