An Ormskirk council candidate has welcomed new powers coming in this autumn to restrict to number of family homes being turned into student accommodation.
Yew Tree Road resident David Meadows, who is standing in Scott Ward for the Conservatives, spoke out as an appeal got underway against a council decision to refuse plans to demolish a house on Burscough Street to make way for student accommodation.
David believes the new powers handed down to local councils by the Conservative-led Coalition and taken up by West Lancashire will give extra protection for communities against those who want to turn traditional family homes into Homes in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs).
David, who is a Governor at West End School, said: "The vast majority of student accommodation in Ormskirk is provided by what were traditional terraced housing which were the natural starting point for first time buyers. Since Edge Hill went from being a college to a university, fewer and fewer of these properties have been made available to first time buyers, so much so that we are now seeing people who are Ormskirk born and bred having to move out of town, away from their friends and family, just so they can get on the property ladder.
"I've lived in Ormskirk all my life and my grandmother was a former Mayor of Ormskirk so I have seen many changes over the years. I recognise there needs to be a balance struck between providing accommodation for students and ensuring that there are enough homes for first time buyers. At present, many people in Ormskirk feel the balance has tipped towards students, and I am confident that bringing in the new HMO powers will help to rebalance that, and provide a boost to first time buyers at the same time."