'We’re second class citizens': Residents rally against student accommodation

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Long-time residents of Hulme say they feel like 'second class citizens' as they rally against plans for student apartments set to be decided today (May 31). The 13-storey tower on the site of the former Gamecock pub off Boundary Lane would feature 261 flats if approved by Manchester's planning committee.

But local residents, politicians and other organisations have come together in opposition to the planning application due to be determined at the town hall. The resident-led Block the Block campaign has cultivated support from housing associations, a nearby GP practice, local councillors and the MP.

Some took to the streets yesterday (May 30) to stage a protest at the site. Helen Baker, who lives in Ruby Street, moved to the Aquarius Estate after the Hulme Crescents were demolished on a promise that the area would be for families – but decades later, she says she feels like she is being 'forced out'.

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She said: "We feel like we're second class citizens. They just don't take anything we say into consideration anymore. We really don't feel heard."

Aside from concerns about 'community cohesion', residents say the growing size of the transient student population has an impact on accessing amenities. Sue, who lives off Freeman Square, says housing is a huge issue in Hulme – but so is green space which the area increasingly inhabited by students now lacks.

She said: "There used to be a lot of green space in Hulme. It's all gone. My grandkids have got nowhere to play."

Dr Philippa James, a GP at the nearby Cornbrook Medical Practice, agrees. She once held clinics at the Gamecock pub - the only place she could find 'some of the blokes' - but