BRUNEL undergraduates have criticised restrictions on student housing that were approved at a full council meeting last week.

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) will be limited in roads close to the university. Landlords will need planning permission to convert homes into shared accommodation.

Similar legislation exists in university towns, such as Manchester and Portsmouth, due to concerns there were too many students living certain areas – a phenomenon known as ‘studentification’.

The Union of Brunel Students (UBS) says the legislation will hike up living costs and increase both the number of cars and pressure on public transport.

The university believes the legislation will benefit students in the long run, but UBS president Promise Phillips said: “It’s a shame that students are still not being seen as an integral part of our community. They give a substantial amount back to our communities and it is unfair to treat them as outsiders.”

Hillingdon’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling, Keith Burrows (Con), said, while most residents lived happily with their neighbours, ‘studentification’ was causing tensions in some areas.

“We do not want to turn residents against students or students against residents, but they are fed up at the way their community is being divided.

“Rubbish left outside, loud music late at night – these are things our communities are concerned about.”

Fifty Brunel journalism students also attended the meeting, and Cllr Burrows said he recognised that students were essential to the local economy.

The new restrictions will affect popular student areas in the Uxbridge South and Brunel wards, but will not come into force for another year.

“We will consult properly, fully and adequately, as we always do,” said Cllr Burrows.