By Grant Smith, education reporter

PROPOSED CHANGES to planning laws could make it more difficult for poorer students to find flats in cities, it is being claimed.

The National Union of Students Scotland is campaigning against amendments to the Planning (Scotland) Bill lodged by Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Andrew Arbuckle and Pauline McNeill, who represents Glasgow Kelvin. The Scottish Parliament will be voting on the Bill later this week.

NUS Scotland said the amendments will oblige the landlord of a house in multiple occupation (HMO) to seek planning permission as well as an HMO licence to operate and give councils powers to limit the number of HMOs in a given area.

A spokeswoman said, “NUS Scotland and (housing charity) Shelter feel very strongly this has the potential to cause huge problems in the provision of affordable housing … particularly for students and young professionals.

“Allowing councils to set quotas by street and therefore reject HMOs up for renewal could displace student communities in university cities like Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

“There would be increased marketisation of properties near campuses, only rich students could afford property close to campus. Poorer students will be dispersed outwards.

“… It is wrong to use HMO legislation, designed to improve the quality and safety of rented property, for the purposes of socially engineering communities.”

NUS Scotland and Shelter have been lobbying MSPs to get them to reject the amendments.

Mr Arbuckle insisted his concerns were not only about students but about HMOs used by migrant workers in light of complaints he had received about properties in Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. His proposal was unlikely to pass anyway, he added.