RESIDENTS say their community is being destroyed by “greedy developers”.

Audra Ryder is one of many homeowners in Coldean, Brighton, who fear their way of life is under threat by the increasing number of houses of multiple occupancy (HMO) in their area.

Concerns have been raised that students are taking over communities, enticed into the HMO properties by cheaper rents.

Residents complain that developers are buying up what were once council homes for families in their street in a “gold rush” caused by the lack of student housing.

Despite 4,000 new purpose-built student homes planned for the city, they are concerned the students will never move out of their area.

They fear the HMOs the students are now living in will never be returned to family homes which once lined their streets.

Mrs Ryder, who lives in Park Road, Coldean, said: “We have lost our nursery, we only have one reception class.

“These are communities and they are being destroyed.

“We are really worried that we will go the same way as Bevendean.

“Brighton used to be a beautiful place but universities have taken it over and it’s not our city any more.

“It’s full of students and the students do not integrate.

“The whole of the Coldean area has been fighting against this and the council is aware of this.

“We’re all so worried we’ve started a little group to stop this.”

The Argus met the group and discussed their issues over a pot of tea.

The concerned residents of Park Road and nearby areas say that “greedy landlords” were buying up homes in their street.

In one leaflet sent to residents, seen by The Argus, a developer asked to buy their houses for “pre-Brexit” prices.

Once bought, developers will make changes to the property to turn it into an HMO.

Landlords can expect to earn large sums of money each year from renting out their properties to students.

Students will pay – between them – £28,596 a year in rent for a five-bed, one bathroom house in Barcombe Road, near Coldean.

The average value of a property on the street is £302,700, according to property website Zoopla.

A six-bed, two-bathroom house in Blaker Street, off Edward street in Brighton, will cost students £42,120 a year.

The current average house price on the website for this street is £466,010.

And an eight-bed, two-bathroom house in Hollingbury Road, Hollingdean, will cost students £56,160 a year.

Mrs Ryder said: “I’m going to be sandwiched in between two HMOs, I’ve lost value on my house. Who is going to buy my house?

“It is a kick in the stomach.

“We have a housing shortage in Brighton, why are the council allowing this?

“If the university wants them, the university must house them.”

There are a number of developments across the city which aim to provide student housing.

But Mrs Ryder, along with other residents, are concerned that students will not move out as the HMOs will be cheaper than this purpose-built accommodation.

A Freedom of Information request, made earlier this year, revealed purpose-built housing for more than 4,000 students is planned for Brighton and Hove.

Preston Barracks, in Lewes Road will house 1,338 students and the Co-op supermarket site in London Road will house 232.

Current purpose-built accommodation at the unfinished Circus Street site in central Brighton will cost students anywhere between £780 to £1,120 a month, including bills.

Rooms include a “small double bed” and an ensuite.

The price is similar to other purpose-built student housing in the city.

Rooms at the newly built Stonework building, near the Gladstone Pub in Lewes Road, with similar facilities, cost between £1,092 and £1,172 per month.

But students who choose to rent out rooms in large HMOs will pay much less.

For properties of this type around the universities and around Hanover they will have to pay between £440 to £560, excluding bills.

Brighton and Hove City Council believes students will move into the new accommodation,

Councillor Gill Williams, chairwoman of the housing committee, said: “While some of the rents charged do look extremely expensive, and we need national intervention to tackle this, we have no evidence to indicate the accommodation is not being used.

“More purpose-built student accommodation will relieve pressure from other housing in the city.

“Our analysis shows that the number of students living in the private rented sector has peaked and we’re expecting a significant decline over the next few years.”

A property is an HMO if at least three tenants live there – forming more than one household – and they share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.

A household can be a single person, a couple or a family.

Brighton landlords who own these properties need a licence if the property has two or more storeys.

Cllr Williams said: “We are aware that people living in areas with high concentrations of HMOs are concerned about the extra pressures they place on neighbourhoods.

“HMOs are in demand as they provide affordable accommodation in a city where rents are high.

“As well as students, they provide homes for many people working in Brighton and Hove.

“Nonetheless, as a council we actually reject a lot of HMO applications, often because of room sizes and them not being fit for human habitation for the number of people the housing is intended for.”

The council has also introduced stringent rules about the granting of licences, relative to the rest of the country.

Licences will be refused when more than ten per cent of homes within 50 metres are already classed as an HMO.

Cllr Williams said: “In the Draft City Plan Part 2, we’re proposing to introduce additional criteria to ensure that a non-HMO won’t be ‘sandwiched’ between two HMOs and to control concentrations across the wider neighbourhood.

“In the areas where the numbers of HMOs are high, which includes Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, we’ve introduced an ‘Article 4 Direction’ which means planning permission is required to convert single dwelling homes into shared houses.

“This allows residents to have their say through the planning process and gives some control over the concentrations of HMOs and address issues such as increased noise, refuse and parking pressure.

“Following consultation earlier this year, we’re proposing to introduce the Article 4 Direction city-wide from June next year.”

Despite the actions to limit the number of HMOs in a given area, Cllr Williams admitted the council’s powers were limited and that it urgently requires more powers from Government to close planning loopholes and regulate the market.

Cllr Williams added: “I’d like to see rent controls and more local authority control over planning regulations so that residents can lead the way – and I urge the Government to grant us those powers.

“In the meantime, we’ve also recently introduced an additional licensing scheme across the city which means almost all HMOs in Brighton and Hove need to be licensed.”

A full map of HMO properties can be found on the council’s website.