A COUPLE who claim living near students is making them ill have won permission to sell their house to a landlord.

Kay and Stephen Richards told councillors they were surrounded by student housing in St Michael's Place, giving them no choice but to sell-up and allow their home to be converted as well.

Neighbours pleaded with members of Canterbury City Council's planning committee to block the bid to register the property as a House in Multiple Occupation, HMO, but after Mrs Richards broke down in tears during the meeting, councillors decided it was a special case.

Mr Richards said: "It is not a reasonable family house any more. My wife and I are enduring much stress, with serious consequences for our health.

"If this application is rejected, you will have a row of HMOs with one residential house in the middle.

"I hope you will enable us to escape from this distressing situation."

Their application was one of five discussed at the planning meeting, but the only one approved.

In a victory for residents, who produced maps showing the number of student houses was close to outnumbering family homes, councillors rejected the other applications.

But their decision was bad news for mum So Fun Wong, who had wanted to rent her house in St Martin's Road out after a change in family circumstances.

Fighting back tears, she said: "We have been marketing it as a family let since April with no luck. The agent said he could not convince families to look at it.

"We are not HMO investors, we are just a normal family trying to do what is best to cope with a change in our family circumstances."

But Cllr Paula Vickers said family homes were needed across the city and should be preserved.

Her views were echoed by neighbour Philip White, who said two thirds of houses in the road were already used as HMOs.

He said: "We are not the university halls of residence and should not be allowed to become so.

"Please remember there are people living in St Martin's Road who have raised families and that is becoming increasingly less enjoyable."

An application for two semi-detached houses in St Michael's Place was also refused, along with another application for St Martins Road.

Clare Benfield, of St Michael's Road, said houses were snapped up by landlords to convert to HMOs.

She said: "The community is now under threat. When did a residential area become a student area? A large number of potential family homes are lying empty for half the year.

"I'm ashamed our once-vibrant community has come to this."

But Helen Wood, president of the Student Union at the University of Kent, said students were being unfairly represented.

She said: "We do not deny some of the issues associated with HMOs are a problem in Canterbury but planning law is not the way to tackle this.

"Almost 60 per cent of students work during term time.

"Most are conscious of the need to get a good education. They bring a lot to the community."

Council lawyer Janet Taylor said rules about HMOs could change so owners would not need planning permission, although the council could insist people apply in certain areas.