19.08.2004
A recent research study carried out at the University of Brighton has found that Eastbourne views its student population as fundamental to sustaining the vibrancy of both the town’s local economy and its cultural scene.
The study was undertaken by Dr Darren P.Smith and Dr Louise Holt of the School of the Environment’s Geography Division. It was commissioned by the University’s accommodation services to provide information on which to draft a long-term accommodation strategy.
Eastbourne’s student population is widely regarded in the town as bringing significant benefits. In particular, it makes a valuable contribution to the buoyancy of the private sector housing market. The recent transformation of vacant and run-down residential property (such as hotels) into student accommodation is also welcomed and seen as a major factor in the town's physical upgrading.
Drs Smith and Holt found that this positive student image is linked to fact that students are dispersed throughout Eastbourne and there is no 'student ghetto'. This is in large measure due to the efforts of the University of Brighton Accommodation Office in shaping the way students look for accommodation and limiting the number of students seeking accommodation through private letting agents. In other university towns it has been found that private letting agents often steer students to particular locations, thus creating student enclaves.
Local resistance to ‘studentification’ in other university towns has largely focused on 'student ghettos' and their effect on local services such as refuse collection and the character of retail outlets.
In Eastbourne, by contrast, local resistance has been limited and not focused on the impact of students on local services. Concerns which have been raised relate to issues of architectural design, increased traffic and the volume of parking associated with all the university’s operations.
The university’s Director of Finance, Kirsten Gillingham, welcomed the study’s findings:
"We're pleased to see such positive outcomes from this research and, in particular, its finding that students are perceived as bringing real economic and cultural benefits to Eastbourne. This study provides us with a more informed picture of what we’re doing that works, and we will continue to build on the positive achievements of our accommodation services in meeting our students' needs and preferences."
The university is currently developing modern halls of residence on its Welkin campus. Current and future dialogue with the local community on such developments will be informed by an awareness of the need, highlighted in the new study, for wider consultation between developers and suppliers of student accommodation and local communities and officials, as well as students, in university towns.
Contact: Dr Darren P.Smith, University of Brighton, 01273 643318 or email D.Smith@brighton.ac.uk
See related research: Students at home in Brighton and Hove
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
