“Student Ghetto” plans slammed by Guild

Guild officials have hit out at Council plans to limit the number of student houses in the Selly Oak and Edgbaston area.

The council’s ‘Article 4 Direction’ is supposed to reduce the effect of rowdy student behaviour on locals in the area.

The draft proposal on the council website seems to suggest that the Bournbrook is already a lost cause, as the vast majority of the area is already dominated by student housing.

Instead, the proposals single out Selly Oak, Selly Park, Edgbaston and Harborne as areas of concern.

The guild’s petition claims this is dangerous, as it could lead to Bournbrook to becoming a “student ghetto” if landlords are put off buying properties in the other areas around the university.

The council’s plan could disrupt a large area around the uni

Sam Douglas, a student who signed the petition, said: “Changes will vastly affect the majority of those who live here and the majority of those who fuel the local economy.”

The guild suggests there could be a case for discrimination.

It is also possible this could lead to increased rent prices in the Bournbrook area, a lower standard of housing, longer walk to lectures, and put it could also deter future students from coming to the uni.

The petition states: “Students, like everybody else, should be able to choose where they live and how many people to live with; this shouldn’t be restricted by the Council.”

What do you think? A master plot to segregate students from the rest of society? Or a practical solution to stop us pissing off the locals?

If you want to sign the petition to stop the council’s plans, click here.