Issue 1194 Monday 12 October 2009 www.thecourieronline.co.uk
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The paps are out: who’s been causing a stir on campus?
News, page 7
A. WILSON
Local council plans student ghetto such as Jesmond and Heaton. Liberal Democrat councillors claim that their ‘Living and Learning in Newcastle’ strategy will increase choice, drive down rents and improve living conditions. A plan for similar purpose-built student blocks was originally proposed in 2007, as reported in The Courier, but eventually fell through. The Labour opposition called for further debate on the strategy which they believe could put people off studying in the city. Labour’s leader Nick Forbes told The Chronicle, “Our concern is that this strategy is not ambitious enough and only sees students as a problem in terms of housing, rather than as an asset to the community�. He continued, “The Lib Dems seem to think that driving students out of areas such as Jesmond and Heaton will free up properties for family housing. Landlords will not
sell these properties; they will just rent them out to other groups of people. All it will do is replace one set of issues with another�. However, Liberal Democrat Councillor Bill Shepherd insisted they were not trying to force students out of certain areas of the city. Shepherd told The Chronicle, “We are aiming to ensure students in Newcastle have access to safe, wellmanaged and decent accommodation, while balancing the needs and welfare of residents�. At the meeting on Friday he denied the council were trying to dictate where students lived and said he would welcome further discussions between all parties on the matter. The city of Newcastle encompasses two universities and is home to 37,000 students in full time education, giving it the highest proportion of full-time students to population of any of England’s largest cities.
Council chiefs say that over the last decade the number of students living in rented accommodation has ULVHQ VLJQLĂ€FDQWO\ EXW QRW HQRXJK SXUSRVH EXLOW Ă DWV IRU VWXGHQWV KDYH been built. As a result of this, the council says it wants to make sure SXUSRVH EXLOW Ă DWV DUH FRQVWUXFWHG for students. Students at the meeting said they felt they were being unfairly hounded out of communities. Newcastle Union’s Student SupSRUW 2IĂ€FHU 3HWH 0HUFHU ZKR DOVR attended told The Courier, “This document clearly isn’t about a shortage of student housing because there isn’t one; we haven’t got students living on the street. “If having students living in communities is really becoming a problem, we need to resolve those issuesâ€?. Tensions between students and residents in local communities such
as Jesmond and Heaton have risen VLJQLĂ€FDQWO\ DIWHU KXJH LQFUHDVHV in the number of complaints made against students. Jesmond resident Bobbie Harding told The Courier, “I think the solution to this is along the lines of the strategy presented today. This will help to lessen the tensionsâ€?. She continued, “There’s a difference in lifestyle between students and residents, which is understandable. I don’t expect or want students to come back at 12 o’clock at night, but you can’t have families and working people next to each otherâ€?. “The problem is numbers. Sheer overwhelming numbers. In the summer, there are few permanent residents. It has stopped being a year-round community.â€? Continued on page 7 Comment on page 10
Ross Moodie tribute
BNP on the BBC?
Out with the old?
The Futureheads
Royals lose opener
Friends of the late Ross Moodie have paid their respects after the former Boat Club member’s tragic accident. News, pages 4 and 5
Yes / No debates whether or not the %%& VKRXOG DOORZ 1LFN *ULIÂżQ WR DSSHDU on Question Time later this month. Comment, page 11
Why drink and Facebook make it GLIÂżFXOW IRU ORQJ GLVWDQFH UHODWLRQVKLSV to succeed at university. Life & Style, page 14
7KH ÂżUVW LQVWDOPHQW RI Culture Chat brings to you an exclusive interview with Sunderland band The Futureheads. Culture, page 19
A late penalty saw Newcastle’s men’s rugby union side slip to home defeat against Leeds Met. Sport, page 44
> Proposal to rehouse 5,000 students Simon Murphy & Jessica Tully News Editors Students clashed with local councillors and residents over new housing proposals set forward by the Liberal Democrat led council. The plans, which would see purpose-built blocks catering for 5,000 students in Newcastle, were challenged by Labour opposition councillors in a call-in which was defeated by three votes to one on Friday morning. Critics claimed the proposed housing plan sought to drive students out of residential parts of the city,
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