People in Cardiff say they are concerned about properties built for students replacing the city’s green spaces.
Two developers have asked Cardiff Council for permission to let rooms to general tenants in Adamsdown and Roath because they say there is a lack of demand from students.
Cardiff Green Party member, Keith Watts says it is a case of private companies profiting off public land.
Mr Watts says: “In general the community is not happy about having more student flats.”
“Our concern within the Greens is that it’s poor quality housing via the back door.
“They can build them more cheaply and more quickly. Then they don’t have the demand, they swap it into a normal flat, and sell it for a large profit off the back of what was public land and a public recreation space.
“It’s a private profit off the back of public loss.”
Student accommodation is not classed as housing, and it is often cheaper to build as it doesn’t always have the same obligations for natural light and space.
But Crosslane, one of the student property developers, say they were forced to make the “difficult decision” to find a different use for their property because of a lack of demand from students.
If approved by Cardiff Council, the licence will allow them to let out apartments to general tenants for up to 90 days for the next year.
Residents in Adamsdown have launched a petition against another development, saying inner-city green spaces are being sacrificed for more unnecessary student blocks.
More than 400 people have signed the petition opposing the Howard Gardens site.
The land was sold off by the council in 2015, and the two-block student development will have more than 1,000 beds if planning permission is granted early next year.
The council has approved plans for more student builds providing a further 2,696 beds.
