A CRACKDOWN on student housing in Stanmore could be launched this week amid concerns that late-night parties and anti-social behaviour are "fracturing" the community.

Winchester City Council will discuss whether to bring forward restrictions on landlords converting family homes into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) at cabinet on Wednesday morning.

Almost 350 people have signed a petition demanding rules planned for next year are introduced immediately.

One in three Stanmore homes are now HMOs, according to rough council estimates, and campaigners fear further unchecked conversions will aggravate long-standing concerns over noise, fly-tipping, litter and criminal damage.

In a letter to civic chiefs, campaign leader Amanda Chard said Stanmore has been left “utterly fractured and unrecognisable” by “indifference” to the swelling student population.

Under the regulations, planned for 2016, landlords would have to win planning permission before converting families into HMOs, which are popular with Winchester University students.

But petitioners say a planned 12-month notice period, designed to protect civic chiefs from compensation payouts to landlords, will cause a “gold rush” of investors snapping up lucrative properties.

Presenting the petition of 345 signatures to full council last week, Ms Chard said: “Can it really be considered acceptable to allow more family homes to be lost over the next 12 to 18 months when family homes on new developments are being marketed upwards of £480,000 and the council is not able to build new affordable homes in numbers or timescale to meet demand?”

“There are already significant problems with parking, damage to grass verges and kerbs, refuse collections, littering, fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour [and] noise.

“The cost of resolving these issues as it is will no doubt be significant and will ultimately come from the public purse.”