Cardiff Council may attempt to spread students across Cardiff because of the problems they cause for local residents.

The feasibility of spreading the student population across the city will be considered after a motion was passed at the Full Council meeting on Thursday November 20.

The motion called for the drafting of a policy that outlines the council’s stance on student housing, and was passed unanimously by council after a discussion in which it was suggested that student housing should be spread across the city to reduce tension in areas with an ‘over-concentration’ of students. The motion was proposed by Lib Dem councillor and postgraduate student Ed Bridges (councillor for Gabalfa ward) and seconded by his colleague Simon Pickard (councillor for Cathays).

Arguments over noise, litter and car-parking spaces have been blamed for driving away people who have lived in their houses for decades.

Councillors agreed that the ratio of students to residents in parts of the city is now too high.

Cathays resident Richard Brydon, 63, lives on a street where eight out of 20 houses are occupied by students, and welcomes any plans to dilute the student population.

He said: “In the last few years it has changed for the worse. If you came along to the PACT (Police and Communities Together) meetings in Cathays you would see the anger that people have.”

Councillor Ed Bridges told gair rhydd he did not intend his proposal to sound ‘anti-student’.

He said: “We’re very proud to represent student areas of the city but having a very high concentration of students does create problems.

“This proposal is about trying to encourage students into properties in, say, Adamsdown and Whitchurch to redress the balance.”

The motion also proposes improved housing for students.

Councillor Pickard said: “It’s not acceptable that almost ten percent of student houses are regarded by the Council as ‘unfit for human inhabitation.’”

“The Council needs to prosecute negligent landlords and introduce powers to target the very worst landlords responsible for the most neglected houses in the most run-down parts of the city.”

Councillor Bridges, whose ward includes the Talybont halls of residence, added: “Cardiff is a great university city, and its students deserve better planning on housing issues.

“I want to see the Council work with the Universities and Students’ Unions to come up with a wide-ranging policy to plan for the future so that the spread of halls and student houses can be done in a more managed way.”

The number of students in Cardiff has risen from 24,000 to 30,000 since 2001. In some streets of Cathays, the student population occupies 75% of the available housing.

One councillor suggested that more anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) should be given out to students who make too much noise or fail to put their rubbish out on time.

These incidents are “few and far between” according to Sarah Plumley from Pinnacle letting agency.

“Of course there are sometimes problems but I wouldn’t say these are massive issues,” she said.

“The kind of plan the council is suggesting would be extremely challenging and could bring difficulties for both students and landlords.

“They would have to put a lot of measures in place to improve facilities for students in other areas, like providing transport to and from the university.”

Local people in the shops at the centre of Cathays had mixed views about the effects that large numbers of students had on the area.

“It does create considerable problems with cleaning up at the end of term,” said Dr Andrew Watt, who used to live in Cathays and now has family there. “I suppose that’s the standard grumble, but I’d say there has also been a reduction in the integrity of what used to be a local working community.

“I think to reduce the numbers of students would be a popular idea with the people who are permanently resident here.”

However, Dalton Street resident Marsha Becher said she was happy living among students.

Marsha said: “It’s close to the university so it makes sense for them to be in this area,”.

She continued: “I don’t have any problems except with the first years, in the first term – after that, it’s fine.”

Surprisingly, the new move has been welcomed by some Cardiff students. Philosophy student Ed Mason said: “It’s obvious that too many students living in one place changes the character of an area, so I suppose it makes sense to try and spread students out across the city more.”

Ian Porter, a PhD student living at Ty Pont Haearn halls in Adamsdown, agreed: “Living in halls is great, but it doesn’t help students to integrate with the community. Anything which helps break down the barriers has to be a good thing.”