One of Britain’s top universities is forcing local families out of affordable housing and ‘ruining communities,’ furious residents told MailOnline.

Students from Durham University – currently ranked fifth in the UK by the Good University Guide – are expanding into the suburbs at an alarming rate as developers convert homes that once held families into four bedroom HMOs, it has been claimed.

The latest conversion to be green-lighted by the local authority is on Cooper Square in the cathedral city’s Gilesgate estate and will be the third similar property on what used to be a peaceful street of post-war council houses.

Residents say Cooper Square is just one example of how Durham is being ‘taken over’ by its student population, with low income families priced out of the estates where they grew up.

The three bedroom house at number 38 is about to be transformed into a four room HMO to house students.

There will be a single-storey rear extension, increased driveway space, and installation of bin storage and a cycle rack to accommodate the undergraduates.

Exactly the same process has just taken place in a former family home at the opposite side of the green at the centre of Cooper Square where the children of local families used to play.

The changes to the street where she has lived for 30 years have infuriated Janice Garbutt, 70.

She said: ‘When number 38 has been converted it will be the third HMO on this street and that is a disgrace because Cooper Square was built for families not for students.

‘It seems that everywhere you look at the moment around Durham, student accommodation is being built so why do they need to come into areas that belong to local people.

‘There are student houses in neighbouring streets as well, it’s a steady creep into residential areas and it is ruining communities. It has to be stopped.

‘There was a time when you knew all your neighbours and everybody in the street, but that’s not the case any more, it has completely changed the character of where we live.

‘I’m two doors away from the first house that was converted for students and they’ve made it into a four bedroom house and built a big extension on the back which I presume will be for an extra living space.

‘I’ve nothing at all against students but what I care about is that people from estates like Gilesgate are being forced out, they can’t afford to live here because people would rather sell to developers.

‘What’s happening here is disgraceful and it needs stricter rules on where student housing can be built.’

Kim Grabham, 63, lives next door to what will become the newest student house on the street.

She said: ‘They knocked down the old Majestic bingo hall in Gilesgate and have built a massive student hall of residence on the site.

‘That’s only a few minutes walk from here so why do they need to convert family homes on this street into more student houses.

‘A local pub which closed down is also being converted, it seems like any empty building in Durham is very quickly full of students before you know it.

‘It will change the street, there’s no doubt about that and it might be noisy but if it is I will take my hearing aids out and ignore it!’

The Jones family have already had a taste of living next door to Durham students.

Mum Bev, 63, said: ‘The house next to us was occupied by students who have now moved out, but at the time it was a real problem.

‘There were about four of them in there but they would have loud parties.

‘On one night there must have been about 20 of them in there and it reached 2AM and there was no sign of it ending or the music being turned down.

‘My daughter was getting up for work and we had no choice but to call the police. As soon as they turned up the students scattered and were gone, but we shouldn’t have had to resort to that.

‘We moved in here in 1996 and bought our house in 2018. At that time it was a quiet residential area full of families and everyone knew each other.

‘The character of the street has changed and it’s really not for the best, it’s just not an appropriate place to bring students into.’

Her daughter Hayley, 34, said: ‘We had to lose a section of our front garden to convert it into a parking area because there were so many cars in the street.

‘And that was before family homes were converted into student digs. It can only make it worse and it just isn’t an appropriate use for houses on this street.’

Their near neighbour Malcolm Milburn, 57, said: ‘I am old enough to remember when I felt safe to leave my front door open.

‘Cooper Square used to be that kind of community because you knew your neighbours and trusted them. I wouldn’t dare do that now.

‘The sense of community has gone, it’s been ruined by the people who have been allowed to move in.

‘We have a lot of foreign nationals in the street who don’t integrate and now we’re going to have two more student houses and it’s taking the area downhill.

‘Back in the day the green in the centre was full of kids playing and people felt safe in that because everyone knew each other. This shouldn’t have been allowed to happen.’

Tracey Langmead, 54, said: ‘I worry that local people on low income will end up on the streets, there is nowhere for them to go.

‘Students are being moved in by developers because all they care about is money. No one gives a damn about the local people who are being forced out.’

Ryan Morgan, 58, said: ‘Before the first HMO was converted there was a local lad with a family who wanted to buy it.

‘But it was sold to the developer, no doubt because they were able to offer more money, knowing that they’d be able to get a big return.

‘Once this place was a close-knit community. In the summer months everyone would get together and sit outside and socialise. You don’t get that any more because these days people don’t know each other.

‘People move in and move out and you barely even see them, let alone strike up a conversation.

‘I’ve been here 30 years and it’s sad what’s happened to the neighbourhood. For those of us who have bought our homes there’s also the concern that their value will decrease.’

Lauren Aspinall, who lives directly next door, expressed her distress over the planned changes, saying it’s made her consider moving out.

She said: ‘I feel like this would make life and my living situation worse than it already is. I really don’t want to have to sell the house and move as I do love Cooper Square.’

The objections against the HMO conversion were led by Belmont Parish Council.

They objected to the application on the grounds that the development would have ‘an adverse impact on social cohesion and unbalance the community.’

The council said: ‘Belmont Parish Council formally objects to this application and is opposed in principle to the proliferation of HMO properties in a residential area of family housing.’

The parish also raised questions about the number of HMOs allowed in the area under the local plan which says the density within 100M of the property cannot be more than 10 per cent. The local authority found the house only just qualified for conversion with a density of 9.6 per cent.

Despite the objections, Durham County Council approved the conversion of the property on April 10 with a number of conditions, which includes soundproofing and compliance with a Student Management Plan.

A Durham University spokesperson said: ‘We are not growing our student numbers. There has been sufficient student accommodation in the city. Our aim is that more of our students (40-45 per cent) live in University accommodation, and we are investing in College accommodation to achieve this.

‘We are committed to being a responsible neighbour, and we always work closely with our joint residents’ associations forum to understand and address any concerns that may arise.’

Stephen Reed, Durham County Council’s planning manager, said: ‘Our County Durham Plan includes guidance on the level of HMOs that will be considered acceptable in a locality, with this being up to ten per cent of properties within 100 metres of an application site. In this case, the application was within this threshold.

‘Having carefully considered all representations, the planning committee agreed that the introduction of a small HMO in this location would not unacceptably imbalance the existing community towards one dominated by HMOs. The committee also agreed that the proposal would not result in an unacceptable impact on the amenity of existing or future residents through cumulative impact from an over-proliferation of HMOs.

‘As with many parts of the country, HMOs are a common and long accepted form of accommodation as part of the nation’s overall housing supply.’