The brow-beaten residents of Selly Oak have watched helplessly as house after house has been given over to the rapidly increasing student population in the Birmingham suburb.
At every turn, the Selly Oak Community Partnership has made very reasonable objections to the general trend which sees family homes sacrificed and converted into student digs.
They have challenged a number of rogue landlords and , ensure the properties and gardens are kept in good order and urged action over their failure to ensure the good behaviour of tenants.
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Time and again, they have objected to extensions which look like shipping containers dropped onto the back of houses.
But time and again the bad landlords seem to have got away with it.
If they build something without planning permission, don’t worry, they can sort that out later.
If they seek permission to extend a family home while actively advertising student tenants – don’t worry, the council can only accept the planning application at face value, whatever the evidence to the contrary.
Don’t worry about causing a nuisance to neighbours with building work at all hours, or damage to neighbouring gardens and property, because the over-stretched council enforcement people will probably never get around to dealing with you.
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There has been some tinkering at the edges with new licensing rules and something called an article four direction to give planners greater control as well as pledges to crack down on rogues.
But even if enforcement action is taken, you can string it out for months and years with successive planning applications and legal challenges.
Well, finally, there has been a success – Britannia Property Services has been ordered to knock down its unauthorised extensions in Gristhorpe Road and restore properties to their original condition.
It was these boxy bolt-ons which last Williams to the cramped Brazilian “favelas”.
Local MP Steve McCabe, who has been growing increasingly irate at the failure to stem the tide, was jubilant that at last “residents concerns are being taken seriously”.
“In 18 years as an MP I have not known anything like the level of distress caused by the planning process in ordinary streets in my constituency,” he said.
Basically, it is about time action was taken and residents will be demanding that council bulldozers are placed on standby in case the extensions are slow to come down. Mr McCabe also warned this is a ‘small victory’ and much more needs to be done.
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The company, of course, argued that it had played by the rules and described the properties as ‘pleasantly refurbished’.
I have also been asked to point out there are a number of legitimate student landlords who go about things the right way and provide much needed accommodation.
Alongside this whole debate has been the rise of the student apartment block – particularly in the city centre and increasingly along the A38 corridor. Thousands of student bed spaces are being put up or planned, often taking over converted offices or on old industrial sites. Most famous among these is the redevelopment of the historic Central Fire Station next to Aston University, which was once to contain a gigantic tower block, until planners had it scaled down.
Whenever these developments come forward there is always the question of whether there are too many, either in Selly Oak, or the city as whole.
There are scores of ‘To Let’ signs lining streets like Tiverton Road, suggesting there is over supply.
But, on the other hand, the developers and buy-to-let landlords keep on wanting to provide more and more, suggesting there is a market.
On many occasions in recent years, planning committee housing market – but, as far as I can recall, no such analysis has been done, and almost certainly not published. Isn’t it about time it was?
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As if Labour Birmingham council leader Sir Albert Bore has not got enough on his plate, the Eric Pickles appointed improvement panel overseeing the reform of Britain’s largest local authority, has now joined the chorus of people urging him to cheer up a bit.
Even his own Labour backbenchers have tired of his narrative of ‘the end of local government as we know it’ and the ‘jaws of doom’ in the face of Government austerity budgets – and they are equally angry about the cuts. The Panel then weighed in saying the council needs to be more upbeat about the city’s successes.
And as if by magic Sir Albert had the HSBC and Jaguar announcements waiting in the wings to provide that instant response. It’s as if he knew what was coming.