Monday, 16 September 2019
Students living in the Lenton and Arboretum areas of Nottingham are being urged to be good, considerate neighbours – and warned that anti-social and noisy behaviour could have serious consequences for them – as the start of the new academic year approaches.
In a hand-delivered letter by Nottingham City Council’s Community Protection team during the week of Monday September 16 to 4,500 households, students from both The University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University will be told how a number of late-night house parties at student houses last year had caused serious nuisance to other residents living nearby.
Dr Paul Greatrix, Registrar at The University of Nottingham, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming our students back after the summer break and for many this may be their first, exciting experience of living in shared student accommodation in the local community."
Of course, we know that the vast majority will make a positive contribution economically, culturally, through volunteering activities and generally being good neighbours. But we also want to educate students about the serious impact inconsiderate behaviour can have on residents, and the robust measures that are in place to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Steve Denton, Chief Operating Officer and Registrar of Nottingham Trent University, said: “We encourage our new and returning students to be responsible citizens and respect the locality they live in. We have taken a range of proactive and preventative measures to remind our students of their responsibilities and expected student behaviour. While we recognise that complaints will always relate to a minority, should there ever be any issues, we actively encourage residents and other students affected to report these to us.
“Any issues raised, which are believed to involve our students, are taken very seriously and we take swift action if there are breaches of our student code of behaviour. We work closely with local resident groups, the police and community protection team and fund additional patrols in the relevant local areas.
“Our students make a significant economic, social, cultural contribution to Nottingham and starting or returning to university is an exciting prospect for many of them. We work hard to ensure that they integrate themselves into the community well, and, upon arrival, students are made aware of the importance of being a good neighbour.”
Tough stance
The council’s Community Protection Service works closely with both universities and has a variety of powers to tackle anti-social behaviour including civil injunctions, closure orders and breach of tenancy.
Any anti-social behaviour is taken extremely seriously by the universities which have measures in place to tackle students causing a nuisance in the community through their student disciplinary codes.
The University of Nottingham commits up to £30,000 per academic year to support Community Protection Officers to deliver Operation Corridor, which sees officers patrolling around the Derby Road area of the city offering a dedicated response to anti-social behaviour and student welfare issues. The funding enables CPOs to work later, longer and more frequently on selected nights of the week during term time.
In addition, the University of Nottingham has a number of community relations initiatives aimed at students including:
- an email at the start of term with information on building positive relationships with neighbours, issues including bin collection and how to get involved in volunteering activities in their local community
- the Hello Neighbour campaign which will see posters being put up around campus and supplied to local residents to display in their windows
- helpful information through its Living in the Community webpage, which has advice on issues such as respecting the community and recycling and waste management.
- Working with the Students’ Union to provide a handy guide to living in the community leaflet that will be delivered to students living in the Lenton area towards the end of October.
Awareness of impact
Nottingham Trent University also contributes about £30,000 a year to fund Community Protection Officer patrols. In addition to this:
- Students receive a comprehensive suite of information on living in the community and the importance of being respectful neighbours. This includes essential messages on NTU’s Student Code of Behaviour, waste management and reporting crime and anti-social behaviour.
- NTU, in partnership with University of Nottingham, is also piloting a ‘community living’ programme for students who have been identified as causing a noise nuisance in which they are made aware of the impact they have on others.
- From the start of this academic year, members of the public will be able to report issues to NTU online using a direct reporting form
The Pack for Good joint campaign between The University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University has encouraged students across the city to keep their streets tidy by donating unwanted items such as clothes, books and furniture to the British Heart Foundation. In 2018, donations from students contributed to a total of 9639 bags collected across the whole of Nottingham city but the charity which raised a staggering £180,000.
Respect for all
Leader of Nottingham City Council, Cllr David Mellen, said: “We have two world-class universities here and students make a valuable contribution to our city. They help boost the economy by millions of pounds every year and the vast majority cause no issues at all.
“However, instances of anti-social behaviour do happen, from loud parties to littering, and we continue to work closely with the universities and landlords to get the message across to students that they have a responsibility to the communities in which they live to be good neighbours.
“We simply ask students to remember that their neighbours will include the elderly and vulnerable, workers resting ahead of early-morning starts, and families with young children. It’s worth being mindful that today’s students will be tomorrow’s workers and parents – please be respectful of that.”
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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