Studentification - Will it affect you?

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The RLA is to hold talks with the National Union of Students to discuss the issues surrounding so-called ‘studentification’.

Government thinking is that ‘student ghettos’ can be created by clusters of student housing, which create pockets of noise, anti-social behaviour and litter. It also believes that such clusters become ghost towns over the summer, when its residents are on long vacation.

The RLA’s position is that not all the UK’s two million students want to live in halls of residence, and that they bring value to the traditional local communities where many prefer to live.

Powells (the RLA’s press agency) has begun investigating a possible partnership of interests between ourselves and various neighbourhood convenience shop chains to create one voice that will resist the threat to areas of student housing.

Those who have expressed an interest so far include Spar, Costcutter and the Thresher Group.

Research into the economics of a ‘typical’ street in a student community has also been launched and we have started to contact the heads of economics at all the major universities across the UK. Updates will follow, but meanwhile we would appreciate any views from RLA members on the whole subject of Studentification.

You can read more about studentification by clicking here