HEADINGLEY'S HEADACHE

Landlords are buying multiple properties in Headingley

Headingley - it's the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, it boasts numerous pubs, clubs and restaurants, and oh yes, it has students - masses of them. Inside Out meets some of the locals who are so fed up with students as neighbours they are shifting out of the area altogether.

Situated only two miles from Leeds itself, Headingley is convenient not only for city workers, but also for the many students attending the nearby Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan Universities.

Unfortunately for the locals who have lived here for many years, their town has fast become a mecca for people wanting to survive on a diet of beer, pot noodles and more beer.

OK if you're a student away from home, living it up, not so good if you are a family who wants the quiet life.

Enough is enough

Cara Mills and her family have decided they've had enough of the disruptions brought into their town by students - they are packing up and moving on.

The family don't want to leave their home, and are only moving to a nearby town - but it's one with a tiny student population.

The Mills family are just one of many families who are fleeing Headingley and now half of its residents are students.

Cheap rents offered by landlords who buy multiple properties entice students into the area.

Combine that with the vibrant social scene that's easily accessible and there you have it - student heaven.

In fact, many students comment that the area is more like a London suburb than a northern town.

Residential divide

The idyllic location for visitors is becoming a nightmare for some residents.

Student numbers have dramatically increased in Leeds

Rose Evans has lived in the area for 48 years and feels the face of her terrace has dramatically changed over the years.

"The tone is definitely dropping… it's the students who are to blame," she says.

Rose also despairs over the loud parties, gregarious behaviour and football on the street at 3am.

"They don't have a time limit," she complains.

Rose also takes issue with their manners after one boy told her she wanted "putting against a wall and shooting".

As well as everyday disruptions, residents have found that the large amount of rented accommodation is having a detrimental effect on house prices.

Wider concerns

The Headingley Network Action Group was developed, due to the large numbers of residents becoming fed up with the situation.

The group is determined to reclaim their town and encourage more families back to the area.

Chair of the group, Leslie Jeffries, says what is happening on people's doorsteps is impacting on their lives in more ways than they realise.

"Families are increasingly feeling under pressure because there aren't the facilities in Headingley to buy the things that they want to buy," he says.

Many members of the group feel that supporting local businesses should be high on their agenda, but many small shops have been closed down.

"We lived in a community where you could buy everything you needed.

"Now when businesses come up for sale or rent they tend to go to fast food or estate agents, usually for landlord-owned houses," Leslie explains.

With local facilities decreasing the area is becoming less and less attractive to families.

And with the decrease in families come other problems.

University places may be high, but local primary schools are suffering, with some having to close in recent years due to low numbers.

Fighting back

In an attempt to redress the student/resident balance in Headingley, Leeds Council introduced the country's first initiative to restrict the number of student homes.

The scheme, known as ASHoRe, is being piloted in Leeds and imposes additional planning restrictions on urban areas.

But, as they say, you can't keep all of the people happy all of the time and many believe the scheme is discriminatory.

So what is the answer? The universities aren't going to go, which means the students aren't going to go.

But there must be a way that residents of this leafy suburb can prevent it becoming the UK's largest hall of residence.

Perhaps the answers could come from down south.

Brighton's best

On the south coast, Brighton has shown that there are ways to prevent student populations from taking over a university's local area.

Darren Smith is a lecturer at Brighton University and former student from Leeds.

Leeds University has come under criticism for its handling of students

He was commissioned by Leeds University to carry out research on student residence, where he compared the two cities.

The results showed that student ghettos have been created in Leeds, where locals have no chance to maintain their peaceful lifestyle.

Brighton, on the other hand, has a much more dispersed student population.

Darren believes the differences lie in the involvement of the local universities.

"As higher education expands, universities are now starting to take a more proactive role.

"They are beginning to think about how and where students should be housed and develop accommodation strategies," he says.

Brighton has taken on this proactive role and offers head leasing schemes, where full-time students are offered accommodation managed by the University of Brighton.

This ensures the properties are dispersed around the surrounding areas, not lumped together as in Leeds.

Maybe this is the way forward for Leeds, certainly residents in Headingley will be hoping so.