Bustling with a dynamic student and resident population, the Jesmond community has long taken delight in the area’s rich culture and history.   

As the new year gets underway, JesmondLocal asked residents about their aspirations for the future in one of Newcastle’s most prosperous suburbs.   

Bridging the student-permanent resident gap 

Integrating the two disparate communities poses a challenge in Jesmond, and there are currently few viable forms of communication between students and residents.   

Students constitute over half of Jesmond’s population, according to data from Newcastle University lecturer Murray Dick.

However permanent residents have noticed an inadvertent divide that continues to persist within the area. 

Caitlin Stringfellow, a final-year history student at Newcastle University, has lived in Jesmond for the past two years.   

“I feel like there is a separation, but it is maybe not intentional,” she told Jesmond Local. 

Her house sits on the quaint Grosvenor Avenue, decorated with remnants of festive cheer.  Despite her observation of a split, Stringfellow is quick to commend Jesmond and fondly recalls cordial interactions with elderly neighbours.  

“It’s quite nice to have a mix, I really like living in a place like Jesmond,” she said.

“Our neighbour is lovely, and most residents are friendly about having students living next to them.”  

However, that level of close communication is the exception, rather than the norm. Student residents, including Stringfellow, said they struggle to know what’s going on in their community.  

Stringfellow explained that so far she hasn’t had pamphlets come through the door or attended local meetings, and, as it stands, she’s conscious that there aren’t a lot of ways that she can get involved in the community that are made readily available. 

“I can’t think of anyone who knows a lot about what’s going on in Jesmond,” she said.

“In terms of local issues, I would definitely keep up to date with that if it was being told to me.” 

This is far from an isolated observation, and there is a broader sense in the community that a step towards the integration of students and residents is one many are interested in taking. 

Permanent resident Tony Waterston, a Green Party member, acknowledged the student-resident gap and explained it is constantly on the agenda for residents. 

“Discussions are held which have been repeated before, and so it’s an ongoing issue,” he said. 

Waterston is not too concerned with the usual disturbance issues students can sometimes come under criticism for, and he views their residence in Jesmond as a wholly positive addition. 

“I think students overall get on quite well with residents,” he said. 

However, Waterston believes there is an opportunity that is lacking: the possibility of a warm and inclusive reception to the area. 

He proposes the idea of a “Welcome Week” to help involve students at the heart of Jesmond from the get-go so they feel they can participate in events that may emerge throughout the year. 

“I think it would be very good to have a students’ welcome day or week during October or November and there would be the chance to have activities explaining how things in Jesmond work,” he said. 

Waterston’s connection to Jesmond is longstanding and evident, and he admires the area as the place in Newcastle with the “best social capital”.  Jesmond’s mix of students and residents presents endless opportunities for a mutually beneficial relationship, he claimed.

“It would be good for the residents to experience the diversity and the fun of the area, and it would be good for the students to understand its history,” he said. 

Nils Clemmetsen, secretary of the Jesmond Residents Association, is due to sit down with his committee to brainstorm this very issue later this month.  The Jesmond Dene resident appreciated that some students’ initial attraction to the area is partly because of its nightlife, a fact he laughed knowingly about, but hopes that the new year will be a time for a rethink of communication strategies by the association. 

“We are constantly trying to find new ways of getting into contact with people and it’s quite a segregated society in some respects,” he said. 

“I do believe that individual activities are probably the best way to do this and reach students.” 

Previous attempts have been made to drive this engagement but to little success.

Tanya Pretswell, Labour councillor for North Jesmond, leads the group Keep Jesmond Clean which has historically struggled with low student participation.  Looking ahead, Cllr Pretswell wants students to feel comfortable approaching the community. 

“It’s about how we can work together, not students just supporting us. What we really need is students to come forward and let us know when works for them,” she told JesmondLocal.

“Unless we can persuade students to join these meetings, we are never going to find out what is needed.” 

Balancing HMO numbers

Across this community, permanent residents have also expressed wishes to sustain Jesmond’s culture in the face of growing HMO levels.

Houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) have garnered backlash from some, who primarily expressed concerns that they have come to dominate residential streets.  A JesmondLocal report last month found that on Manor House Road alone, 70% of properties were HMOs. 

Maintaining a fine balance between welcoming the prosperity students bring to the area while also sustaining the longstanding historic community of Jesmond is a challenge for the new year, according to Clemmetsen.

He believes this balance has not yet been achieved and told JesmondLocal the level of HMOs is currently on the “upper end” of what residents would like to see.

“I suspect there are members of the community who want the number of HMOs reduced a bit and that may be appropriate in certain parts of Jesmond,” he explained. 

He hopes the new year will bring opportunities to “advocate for not increasing these numbers” but accepted the HMO status as it currently stands. 

Defining this balance is the biggest challenge in this discussion, according to Pretswell, who admitted serious work is required to determine the ideal number. 

“If you look at some streets, there might only be 35% HMOs and you think that’s a good balance,” she said. “But that 35% might have six students per household and students will outnumber residents on the street.” 

The new year is set to be filled with plenty of discussion by residents and councillors alike and offering opportunities to close the gap between these two communities.