Leeds - Fern Avenue Residents

Headingley has long been synonymous with students, but is all that about to change?

THERE is a new wind blowing through Headingley – and it has nothing to do with the blustery March gales. The once student-besieged suburb is experiencing a phenomenon known as "destudentification". Purpose-built flats nearer the city centre are luring undergraduates away, raising hopes that the families who fled the area may now return. After more than a decade fighting a losing battle are the residents really about to win? "Well," says Richard Tyler, "to mix my metaphors we're not out of the woods yet, but we can definitely see a chink of light at the end of the tunnel." Mr Tyler has lived in Headingley for over 40 years and reacted to the invasion by forming a campaign group which called for limits on student housing in the area. Now, years down the line, there are signs the tide is finally starting to turn. Figures produced last year by the Shared Housing Group – a consortium of interested parties who have been trying to address the explosion in student numbers – confirmed the those numbers were indeed dropping. "The feeling among people in and around Headingley is positive," says Mr Tyler. "When we started it really was a battle. Nobody listened. The universities, students and landlords were completely regardless.
"But we have won the battle with the council and the landlords know which way the wind is blowing too. "They are in a state of panic because of the competition they are getting from the bigger city centre developers. "People are now reporting that families are starting to move back into streets that were almost completely dominated by students. Things are definitely looking up." It helps that the residents have been pro-active. They first noticed the balance was tipping when the 1991 census showed students made up around 20 per cent of the Headingley population. Over the years that figure steadily increased, a natural result of a student presence attracting more of the same to the area, along with the lure of a thriving nightlife.

Forgotten

By 2001 it had climbed to around 60 per cent, with Headingley now synonymous with studentland and long-standing residents feeling marginalised and forgotten. They fought back through well-organised residents associations, putting the case that they welcomed students but wanted a more balanced population. They opposed the opening of new bars and challenged their bids to stay open later, defeat often meaning they had to stump up legal fees out of their own pockets. But gradually the city council began to recognise the adverse effect such a large student population was having on the community. They first attempted to establish 'areas of housing restraint' limiting the reach of student landlords. But the most significant impact has been made by the arrival of developers keen to build dedicated student ccommodation elsewhere in the city. These have mostly been high-rise blocks of flats concentrated around Burley Road and Kirkstall Road, much to the anger of residents in the Little Woodhouse area. Recently, councillors also granted permission for a 37-storey, 557-bed block of student flats to be built in Claypit Lane overlooking the Inner Ring Road.

Back in Headingley, there is a growing feeling that a corner has been turned. Figures collected last year showed the percentage of students in Headingley had dropped by up to ten per cent. As manager of famous Headingley pub The Original Oak, Martyn Goulding has witnessed the student explosion first hand. And he too recognises that the suburb is not as popular with students as it once was. "Things are definitely changing in Headingley," he says. "In a few years it will be very different around here." It appears to be mainly first year students – traditionally the loudest of neighbours – who are moving into the city centre flats. Meanwhile the council has shown it is taking Headingley's historical issues seriously by hitting landlords with fines totalling nearly £12,000 for breaching restrictions on the use of ugly To Let boards. A local takeaway also landed a fine for breaking the terms of its licence by staying open until 4am. Residents are now being asked to take part in a questionnaire on takeaway shops and other late-opening premises. The results will be used to decide whether to introduce a Cumulative Impact Policy (CIP) restricting the opening of any more late-night eateries. A CIP already applies to the number of pubs and bars in Headingley. All this may be music to the ears of long-suffering residents, but the student exodus has caused a few problems of its own. Headingley councillor Martin Hamilton, chairman of the Shared Housing Group, says the departure of large swathes of the student population has created a vacuum with large houses close to Headingley cricket ground standing empty. "We are talking about 2,000 to 2,500 empty bed spaces which is equivalent to several hundred houses. "The next step in our strategy is to see how we can speed up the process of returning empty houses back into use. It is clear that market forces alone will not provide the solution."
The long-term members of the Headingley community are now trying to encourage more families to return to the area. Affordable housing will be provided as part of new developments including that on Leeds Girls' High School's Headingley Lane site when it merges with Leeds Grammar School. Also, under a deal with local estate agents David Moor, homeowners who don't want to sell to a landlord are guaranteed family buyers. Plans are also afoot to convert the former Headingley Primary School on Bennett Road into a community resource. Following the example set by the Hub, a resource centre in south London, the building is set to be converted for use as a community facility downstairs with offices above. These could then be used to get local businesses off the ground. A thriving deli market has also been launched, taking place on the second Saturday morning of each month at the Rose Garden, the area in front of The Arc bar, on North Lane. A small gesture maybe, but Richard Tyler believes it may prove a watershed moment. "Stallholders are fighting each other to get stalls," he says, "and it is full of residents rather than students, which is a bit of a morale booster. "We are so used to everywhere being overwhelmed by students – at Somerfields, even on the streets themselves. "But the first time we held it you looked around and suddenly realised you weren't alone. It really felt like we were reclaiming Headingley." The latest battle has been with the organisers of the Great Student Run, set to take place through Headingley at the end of April. Residents and councillors objected to the lack of consultation but insist they are not killjoys. "It's annoying because we are not against the run at all," says Tyler.

"If they called it the Great Headingley Run and let everyone get involved it would be a really positive thing. " 'You pay more of a premium because it's Headingley...

Emma Long, 19, a public relations student at Leeds Met, explains why undergrads are moving out.

"Headingley was always the first place you looked at because it was known as the place to live. It helps that it's got a lively nightlife. It saves you getting a taxi into town and you would always bump into loads of friends when you were out. But students are definitely looking at other areas now, mainly for financial reasons. You pay more of a premium in Headingley simply because it's Headingley. Places like Burley and Morley are a bit further out but as more people move there the more others will be inclined to do the same. But I think Headingley will always be popular with students. And it would be wrong to say we don't contribute to the community. There are groups like LS6 and Calm (Community Action at Leeds Met) where students go out and do things like litter picks, cleaning up the local river or visiting an old people's home. We also make a big contribution to the local economy. I think a lot of businesses would miss us if we left."