Latest news with #PBSA
Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- Business
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh ban on new student housing blocks proposed amid fear of oversupply
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info New student housing blocks in the capital should be banned over fears of an oversupply, according to an Edinburgh councillor. Over 20,000 beds exist in private student halls in the city, and new projects are regularly being approved. But SNP councillor Danny Aston says the private student halls sector is likely in a bubble, and that the city should look to stem the damage before it bursts. He has put forward a motion to Thursday's full Edinburgh Council meeting, calling for a moratorium on new purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) projects. Cllr Aston said: 'The developers don't seem to see the bursting of the bubble coming. There's plenty of evidence that it's either just started to happen or will happen soon. 'There have been recent applications, recent decisions. They're acting as if none of the issues are really happening. 'I'm concerned by the time they really start to bite, Edinburgh will have been disfigured by a whole bunch of white elephant developments that the operators can't fill.' Glasgow City Council had an effective moratorium on new PBSA projects between 2019 and 2021, preventing many new projects from starting construction. Cllr Aston wants councillors to compile a report exploring options for a moratorium, looking to the ban implemented in Glasgow for inspiration. New PBSA developments are still restricted in parts of the city by planning rules. PBSA projects are generally targeted at wealthier international students, with their high monthly rents adding a bar to entry for many. In Edinburgh's private student housing blocks, prices often start at £800 or £900 per month for a room in a shared flat, and climb higher for studio flats. Cllr Aston continued: 'The higher education sector clearly has financial issues. Edinburgh universities are not going to be immune to that. 'The other aspect directly affecting [the PBSA market] is that we're moving into a more troubled phase in terms of international relations. Relations with China in particular are becoming cooler. 'Chinese students, for a number of years, formed a very big part of the demand for PBSA in Edinburgh, particularly one year masters students, which is a big part of the market. 'And a lot of developers build specifically for that.' Edinburgh locals have long been speaking out about the proliferation of student housing blocks in the city, with many new projects receiving dozens of planning objections. A recent application to build a new PBSA block in Dalry saw locals strike out, with 7 student housing blocks already operating within 500 metres of the site. At the time, law student Xander Lyons told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: 'We have too many [PBSA blocks]. There's so many student housing buildings around here, we've got Orwell Terrace and Bainfield, and then IQ. 'It seems like every time there's a new development planned, it's student flats. If they were affordable, then great, but they're not. 'You're quite often sharing with eight other people, and you're paying 800, maybe 900 pounds a month. It's not going to help the housing crisis.' And continuing student flats development in Jock's Lodge has drawn anger, with one application last year drawing over 1,000 objections. Two pubs and a popular local takeaway are in the firing line of the new development, which would host 191 student beds. But despite the objections, both projects were approved, as they lined up with the city's development guidelines. Cllr Aston said his motion was aimed at giving the city legroom to tackle the issue, saying: 'What I'm proposing in my motion is to buy some time. 'Give us some space to work out what the impact of the financial challenges and the international context are going to be for higher education.' He said he was unaware of why the Glasgow moratorium ended, but that if his motion is passed, he would want the report to include this. If Cllr Aston's motion is passed, council officers would return to the city's Planning Committee by September. The motion will be discussed at the next full meeting of Edinburgh Council, set to take place on Thursday, 19 June, which can be viewed here.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
'Lack of funds from govt, PSB is crippling for snooker'
The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) is facing a severe financial crisis due to lack of any funding from the government or the PSB during the past one year which has jeopardised the survival of snooker as a sport and has put the participation of national players in the upcoming international competitions at serious risk. The PBSA has urgently appealed to the government and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to take notice of the situation and immediately release funds for the federation which is not only one of the most efficient and hardworking federations in the country, but has also brought a huge number of laurels to Pakistan through the untiring efforts of its cueists and its officials. Highlighting the gravity of the financial crisis, the association stated that both the domestic circuit and Pakistan's international representation in snooker are under serious threat if the funds are not released by the PSB. "Since July 2024, the Pakistan Sports Board has not provided any financial support, despite Pakistani players delivering exceptional performances on the world stage last year," the PBSA said in its appeal. In 2024, Pakistan won a gold medal at the World Snooker Championship held in Doha, Qatar, and added to its achievements with a silver and bronze at the World 6-Red and World Cup Snooker Championships, another gold medal at the World Men's Snooker Championship, a gold and bronze at the 3rd SAARC Snooker Championship, and a bronze at the Asian Men's and U-21 Championships. The PBSA emphasized that all expenses for these events were borne by the association through its own limited resources - an arrangement that is no longer sustainable. Due to the current lack of financial support, Pakistan's participation in several major upcoming international events is now uncertain. These include: Asian Team & 6-Red Championship (SL, June 2025) Commonwealth Games (Mauritius, Jul 2025) World U-17, U-21, and 6-Red Championships (Bahr, Jul 2025) World Games (Chi, Aug 2025).
Express Tribune
7 days ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Asif to compete in CW Championships
The three-time World Champion Muhammad Asif has qualified to compete in the Commonwealth Snooker & Billiard Sports Championship 2025. The Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) stated in a press release that the ace cueist qualified for participation in the Commonwealth Snooker & Billiard Sports Championship 2025 in Mauritius by virtue of winning the recent IBSF World Men Snooker Championship 2024, in Doha, Qatar. The World Confederation of Billiards Sports is hosting the Commonwealth Snooker & Billiard Sports Championship 2025 from July 2 to July 6. "We have submitted the visa documents of Muhammad Asif in the Mauritius Embassy in Islamabad and are waiting for obtaining the visa," the PBSA Honorary Secretary Naveed Kapadia told the media. "We believe in Muhammad Asif's ability to achieve great things on the World Snooker arena, and we are confident that he will bring home a medal for our beloved country. "We wish the best of luck to our IBSF World Champion Muhammad Asif and we are all incredibly proud of him, and we are behind him in every way. May his journey to victory be filled with joy, success, and unwavering spirit. Go get that medal." Asif became the second person to win the IBSF World Championship thrice. He took his first title in 2012, then in 2019 and in 2024 he won it for the third time. Apart form individual titles, Asif has also won the IBSF Team Snooker Championships twice for Pakistan. In 2013, he partnered with Muhammad Sajjad to take the title for the first time and then he paired with Babar Masih to win it in 2017, where they defeated team 1 from Pakistan which had his former snooker partner Sajjad and Muhammad Asjad as their opponents in the final. Asif also ventured into the professional snooker as he competed at the British Open qualifying round in 2023.
The Herald Scotland
07-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Inside the fightback against student flats in Edinburgh
This is a place as rich with history as it is character. In a past life it was frequented by highwaymen as the first stop and changeover point for the horse-drawn stagecoach to London, with its name referenced as far back as 1650. Over time, the village that occupied this crossroads has been absorbed into the growing sprawl of the capital. Cars replaced the humble wagon and tenements rose, laying the foundations for a new community. Impressively, the essence of its origins has remained. Now, that's fading slowly before the eyes of locals who feel defeated by developers. To this day, a pub still sits on the site once home to the coaching inn which gave this area its name, its single-story structure and double gable roof matching the original building's style. Soon, however, it will be gone. The Willow's windows are boarded up with metal sheets; inside, a pint hasn't been pulled for over a year. This watering hole, along with the Indian takeaway, disused recording studio and another pub next door to that, is destined for the bulldozers. In their place will rise seven storeys of student flats described as an 'imposing monolithic block'. Read more from our series, The Future of Edinburgh: So far, so typical for Edinburgh where the relentless expansion of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), against the backdrop of a 'housing emergency', ranks high on the list of peoples' peeves. However, at Jock's Lodge, this may just be the beginning of a wholesale transformation into a student village, some residents fear. Next door to the properties awaiting demolition, The Ball Room, a popular sports bar and pool hall which covers an even larger site, is being pursued by student housing developers, with a preliminary planning proposal sent to the council. Owners maintain there will be 'no change to our business for a very, very long time'. Slightly further along to the west and set back from the street is St Margaret's House, a 1970s office block that now houses community arts spaces. The prospect of this being replaced mostly by PBSA also looms large; planning permission has already been consented for its demolition to make way for 361 student beds and 107 flats for sale. The building was put up for sale earlier this year. Jock's Lodge (Image: The Herald) A growing sense of the community here being chipped away only deepened in February when the Church of Scotland announced it was going to close and sell Willowbrae Parish Church, which sits just off the junction. 'I think the pace and scale of change is obviously understandably really uncomfortable for a lot of people,' Danny Aston, SNP councillor for the area said. 'One of the things that's concerned me the most throughout all of these multiple applications has been that this area around Jock's Lodge is designated in the last local development plan, and the new one, as a 'local centre' which effectively means it's the closest thing to a high street this area has. Taken together these applications will really seriously undermine the value of this place for the community. 'This used to be somewhere where people came to meet up, have a drink, maybe have something to eat - and that's being greatly diminished. And I certainly wouldn't blame anyone on the other side of the road for feeling concerned about suddenly seven stories appearing in front of them, and the effect that will have on this really busy junction.' Martin O'Donnell, who lives just around the corner on Willowbrae Road, points out the closure of the pub has meant more than locals simply losing a place to have a drink. 'A lot of community groups met there, and it hosted public meetings,' he said. 'One of the main issues is the community having some facility to go to, be it shopping or hospitality. I would like to see more space in the development devoted for public amenities. 'If you come down Willowbrae you get a nice perspective of Jock's Lodge, the Willow pub and that's now going to be a huge block.' More from the Future of Edinburgh investigative series: The approved plans for a 191-bed block on the corner of Jock's Lodge and Smokey Brae were initially refused by councillors in 2023 after hundreds joined a local campaign opposing the development, arguing it would 'change the nature of the community'. However, this decision was overturned on appeal by the Scottish Government, in line with other similarly unpopular PBSA projects across the city that have gained consent. Other arguments made against the plans when they were considered in the City Chambers included that the building would be too tall and 'imposing', and as the site wasn't close to any university campuses it wasn't the 'right site for student accommodation'. Cllr Aston said at the meeting held two years ago: 'In the place of six commercial units – including the two pubs – there will only be one pub and the common room of the student accommodation which does not contribute to the local area.' This month he said there was now a 'question mark' over whether a bar and restaurant on the ground floor would still form part of the new development. 'I went to the planning committee and made the case on behalf of the community against the application,' he added. 'The committee agreed with me on that occasion, I think they made the right decision. I think the government reporter looked at it and made the wrong decision.' Kirsty Pattison from the Save Jock's Lodge campaign said: 'It does feel this area is completely under threat. I do get we need development, I understand that. I've grown up in this area. Cities change, but it just feels like we've been forgotten about for so long - Jock's Lodge, Craigentinny, Lochend have been forgotten about for so long. 'Now they're going to change the whole of Jock's Lodge, if all of it becomes student flats that's a material change. 'The church is going up for sale, that is a listed building so at least that can't be turned into PBSA.' She added discussions were ongoing about the possibility of pursuing a community buyout. Cllr Aston added: 'It's really important to protect the church. I've had conversations with local people who are really keen to make sure that it remains a space available to the community. 'There's been some quite positive developments which I can't unfortunately go into at this time, so it's really important and I am hopeful ultimately that it can remain open to the community in one way or another. A community buyout option is one of the options that's being discussed, but there are other options available.' The Edinburgh-based artist and activist known as Bonnie Prince Bob, who grew up at Jock's Lodge, said the council had 'allowed private developers to once again change the entire aesthetic of an area that's been the same way for a long time'. He said: 'I grew up here on the front street, at first glance it's not the most, you know, salubrious, inspiring area. It's a main thoroughfare - it's actually the main road to London. But it actually has a good community vibe. It's got a lot of charm, this area - there's a lot of people who have lived here for a long time. 'It's going to change. The Jock's Lodge pub has always been that single elevation pub on the corner. It's been a watering hole, a libation hole for a long, long time. When you approach this junction, whether it's from Smokey Brae, Willoebrae Road, whichever side you approach this junction from, it's going to change dramatically how that is. It's going to become much more closed in. Bonnie Prince Bob and Shaukat Ali (Image: The Herald) 'If you approach this junction, there's space - there's airspace. And I don't think people appreciate how important that is until that's gone. 'When that's gone you're suddenly faced with this imposing monolithic block. It's depressing, it changes the vibe entirely. I feel sorry for the people who live opposite it.' 'I believe this area does have a bit of charm, a bit of character at the moment and it will become this amorphous place. If you poll the people who live here, pretty much everybody is opposed to it.' Connor Robertson, an academic from Leith, told The Herald that the situation at Jock's Lodge is a perfect example of gentrification in action. He argued the proposed changes will push out local residents and businesses in favor of wealthier newcomers, eroding the area's traditional character and community ties. 'The universities themselves and other multinational conglomerates play an active role in gentrification of certain areas,' he said. Read more: 'There's a transient student population and there's a homogeneous, lukewarm, vacuous aesthetic to the whole place. There's nothing genuine or real or authentic to what parts of the city used to be and it all just ends up looking the same. 'With every single new or proposed PBSA block every one I speak to is like 'oh more student housing, when's there going to be enough student housing'. No one I know wants to have more. 'They've completely mismanaged the city, Edinburgh is another symbol of a wider global problem. Gentrification of areas that once were producers and now, the whole thing is based on consumption. And who can consume? The middle class can consume, so the working-class people are if not displaced then marginalised.' Properties on the west of The Willow were sold to developers by Shaukat Ali, who runs a corner shop across the road. He said student accommodation was not his preferred option for the site but 'no person ever came wanting to build houses'. He said: 'If there was an alternative, if there were different people who say 'we want to do this, we want to do that' I would go for something different. 'It's the council's fault and the government's fault. You can't blame that on people who want to make a lot of money. It's not my fault - it's the system that's wrong. 'If the council or the government said we'll buy this site - they had lots of time to do it - and will make it affordable housing. But they didn't want to do it.' Cllr Aston added: 'This shows us that the incentives that are stacked up in favour of developing purpose-built student accommodation are significant for developers. 'Some of the obligations that are placed on mainstream housing developments simply don't apply to student accommodation; there's much lower space standards in terms of the living arrangements for the students.' Edinburgh Council is in the process of drawing up new non-statutory planning guidance for student housing developers, which it says will 'seek to ensure the provision of good quality PBSA in appropriate locations whilst protecting the character of existing areas'. However, Councillor Aston said he wasn't getting his hopes up that it would have the desired effect. 'In the new city development plan the classification for PBSA is commercial, and I can understand some of the reasoning behind that. 'It's not treating it as housing because I think it's pretty clear it does belong in a different category from that. But, I'm concerned that potentially undermines some of the arguments that can clearly be made against applications like the one here at Jock's Lodge - that it's undermining the commercial heart of the community. If it's then possible to point at the most important piece of planning guidance, the City Plan, and say actually that categorises it as a commercial development, I have concerns about that.' In response to the growth of student accommodation, Leith Central Community Council (LCCC) recently called for a moratorium on further PBSA developments in Leith, highlighting the area as being home to a third of Edinburgh's PBSA beds (6332) and 67% of all the city's PBSA buildings. The approved plan for Jock's Lodge PBSA (Image: Allumno) In a statement the group said: '[We] oppose any new PBSA developments in the Leith area, citing the absence of a local university, the oversaturation of current PBSA's in Leith, and the pressing need for housing that serves long-term residents and diverse community needs. 'Leith is a vibrant, mixed community, and further PBSA developments risk upsetting this balance by increasing transient populations and reducing the availability of housing for families, key workers, and long-term residents.' Speaking to The Herald, LCCC chair Charlotte Encombe said: 'I'm not a planning expert but I can feel something in my bones when something is just not right. 'We have no problem with students, we're all very happy with students. But I think we really need to concentrate on getting affordable housing in the centre of Edinburgh. That is mainly the reason we've gone in quite hard. 'Enough is enough. All we do is PBSAs, PBSAs, PBSAs. 'It is a very profitable activity. It's just very difficult for a community council, a group of volunteers with mixed expertise, to try and stem this flood of more and more.' Cllr Aston said he believed a moratorium on new student accommodation blocks in areas already heavily concentrated with such developments is 'something we should very seriously consider'. He said: 'I suppose I would expect there not to be a shortage of communities that would put themselves forward. 'It would then be a matter for councillors to decide, if we were going to pursue that, which of those communities that felt they were oversaturated with student accommodation would be part of the moratorium. Or indeed, if we would look more widely than that.' Restrictions on PBSA are not unprecedented in Scotland. In Glasgow, new PBSA developments were effectively put on hold from 2019 to 2021 while the council engaged with various stakeholders to gather their views on student housing in the city, responding to concerns about an over-concentration of such provision. Following this consultation, the authority introduced new planning guidelines specifying that new student housing would no longer be supported in two areas: South Partick and Yorkhill, and Cowcaddens and Townhead. Read more: Meanwhile, The Cockburn Association, Edinburgh's heritage watchdog, warned last month that across Edinburgh, the "continued proliferation of PBSA" was "reshaping both the physical character of neighbourhoods and the daily life of the communities within them'. It said: 'From the tightly packed crescents of Marchmont and the Southside to the narrow streets of the Old Town and city fringe, developers are increasingly targeting former commercial premises, brownfield sites, and even viable historic buildings as opportunities for large-scale student accommodation.' Rather than 'relying on speculative delivery and developer-led policy formation,' it added, "it may be time to reassert a civic-led approach that places the needs of communities, students, and heritage on equal footing'.
Glasgow Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
More than 16,000 student beds in pipeline for Glasgow
Research has found that while there are around 20,000 purpose-built beds, more are needed to accommodate the number of students, with a shortfall of roughly 6000. A council official said there would be a 'significant risk of oversupply' if the whole pipeline was built even 'accounting for ongoing growth in students attending Glasgow institutions'. READ NEXT: Glasgow's drug consumption centre is working says health secretary But he said many planning consents are 'not translating into schemes being implemented' due to several factors, including the 'availability of development finance'. In an update to councillors, he said planners' principal focus when assessing applications is 'around the concentration of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), particularly around the city centre where there has been a high volume of cases submitted and approved'. It is now likely that 'assessments will start to conclude that some areas have reached a threshold for PBSA development', he added. The official told the city's housing committee that there is 'no hard and fast rule that says what a particular threshold is'. But he added: 'We are seeing areas where up to 40% and above of a population within a 400 metre radius would be people living in PBSA. I think that is fair to say is getting towards a level that is something that officers and maybe elected members may want to resist as well. 'Every case must be considered on its own merits, but we have seen an increase in the number of cases and I think we are getting to a stage where we may have to make decisions that consider that the concentration is actually too high.' Proposed student housing, St George's Road(Image: Newsquest) Proposed student housing, India Street (Image: Supplied) Proposed student housing, Central Quay (Image: Unite) READ NEXT: Gangland violence 'out of control' John Swinney is told after Spain shootings Guidance introduced in 2021 identified two areas — Townhead/Cowcaddens and Yorkhill/Partick — where further PBSA 'would be resisted'. A council audit in January this year found around half of the existing managed student accommodation was located in these areas of overconcentration (9708), but very few of the beds in the pipeline are (111). Since 2017, developers have been required to show student accommodation schemes can be 'adapted to alternative uses should demand reduce'. Applicants are also expected to demonstrate that there is a demand for accommodation. And, the official said, planners are now giving 'weight to cases that are able to introduce some offer of affordability'. They are also supportive of plans to repurpose an existing building. Figures for 2023/24 revealed there were 87,215 students in Glasgow, down from a peak of 92,430 in 2021/22, but still around 10,000 higher than pre-pandemic levels. The council audit showed there are 20,218 beds across 72 purpose-built sites, with around half of the supply in the city centre. Around 65% of the proposed beds in the development pipeline would be in the city centre. Over 2000 of the 16,000 are in construction, while more than 4000 have been granted permission but work has not begun, the official said. A UK collaborative centre for housing report in September last year calculated that, for the 2022/23 academic year, there was a shortfall of 6093 beds to accommodate the then 90,030 students at Glasgow universities. An evidence report, prepared ahead of the creation of a new city development plan, found future policy should 'reflect on student concerns about affordability' and 'recognise a clear student preference for on-campus accommodation'. A council report added work to monitor supply and demand continues with the universities and accommodation providers, and will feed into forthcoming planning policy.
