'Ban new student halls'

The Divinity Road Area Residents’ Association claims the universities cannot police the no-cars rule at student halls because the DVLA will no longer help investigate suspected breaches.

It says emails from senior staff at Oxford City Council and Oxford Brookes University, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, prove their case.

The group wants planning applications for new student blocks, including those at St Clements car park and Dorset House, in Headington, to be put on hold until new checks are in place.

But the universities and city planners are adamant the current policy, aimed at alleviating parking congestion on suburban streets, is still effective.

Under city planning regulations, those living in purpose-built student accommodation cannot have a car — and the rule is a condition of new developments.

To police the rule, Oxford Brookes University had used the DVLA to check the ownership details of vehicles parked on neighbouring streets that it suspected belonged to its students.

But recent Freedom of Information requests by the Divinity Road Area Residents’ Association revealed the DVLA arrangement has ended.

In an email to Oxford East MP Andrew Smith dated October 12, 2009, Anne Gwinnett, director of corporate affairs at Brookes, said: “We have now learned that DVLA will no longer provide this information to us (or any other university), unless the vehicle is parked on university land, which means that it will become almost impossible for us to identify student cars parked in local streets. Our ability therefore to exert control over students living in our halls of residence with regard to their use of a motor vehicle will be severely diminished.”

Divinity Road Area Residents’ Association member Sietske Boeles said it was clear the no-car policy was unenforceable.

She said: “We are calling for a complete moratorium on new planning permissions for student accommodation until sufficient means are found to enforce the policy. The situation has completely broken down.

“The only way forward is a controlled parking zone, possibly across all Oxford, to prevent an overspill of the problem from one area to the next.”

She said the universities and accommodation developers should pay for the parking restrictions.

“It is not just inconvenience anymore, it is an issue of highway safety. People park on pavements and people park on corners.

“Emergency vehicles can’t get through.”

This week, the university told The Oxford Times it was confident the no-car policy could be enforced.

Dr Gwinnett said: “All our students living in university accommodation are banned from bringing cars to the city, and we do all we can within the limitations of the law to enforce this.

“We recently wrote to every student in halls reminding them they are not allowed to bring their cars to Oxford, and our new student community warden scheme, being piloted shortly in the Divinity Road area, will allow us to closely monitor the situation.”

The paid student wardens will liaise with residents, police community support officers and fellow students to solve local issues, the university said.

Oxford City Council’s head of planning, Michael Crofton-Briggs, played down the problem.

He said: “We are not aware that breaches are a common occurrence.

“Yes, there are lots of students in Oxford. Yes, they are parking cars on residential roads.

“But what we don’t think is a regular occurrence is that these students are living in purpose-built student accommodation.”

But the Divinity Road Area Residents’ Association says an email from city planning officer Mark Spragg to the DVLA shows the council has grave concerns.

In that email, Mr Spragg said the council could continue to impose conditions on student cars but added: “Without the ability for the university to confirm alleged contravenors and to enforce their tenancy agreements, this would not overcome the problems.

“Furthermore, with the increased knowledge by students that this is not enforceable, the situation would be significantly worsened. As such the council may have great difficulty in accepting more purpose-built student accommodation.”

Mr Crofton-Briggs said the council “would prefer” the DVLA to provide details to Brookes, but he said the email had been worded “in a particular way to get a particular response”.

A plan for 313 student rooms on the Dorset House site, in London Road, is due to be discussed by Oxford City Council’s north east area committee tonight.

The plans will be decided by the council’s strategic development and control committee on March 31.