Student housing under scrutiny in Ward 33

THE eThekwini Municipality said it is making sure that student accommodations are in line with municipal rules.

This comes after Councillor Fran Kristopher raised her concerns about issues affecting Ward 33. According to her, uncontrolled student accommodation developments threatened the character and sustainability of Glenwood, Bulwer and Umbilo.

“The urban precincts of Umbilo, Bulwer, Glenwood, and surrounding areas are experiencing a growing wave of student accommodation developments that are fundamentally changing the character of our established residential neighbourhoods,” she said.

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“The conversion of multiple blocks of flats into student accommodation is increasing at an alarming rate, raising serious concerns among residents, property owners, businesses and other stakeholders who have invested in these communities for decades,” she said.

Kristopher questioned whether the City was ensuring compliance from initial stages of Building Plan Submissions, intentions of building use, to site builds and engineering approvals.

Kristopher lamented the loss of historic buildings, adding that it was not simply a property matter but affected the architectural character, identity and heritage of their neighbourhoods and that once these buildings were gone, they could never be replaced.

She said that recent disorder in the Davenport Precinct, together with disturbances around local campuses, has intensified residents’ concerns about noise, public drinking, loitering, public urination and other disruptive conduct in residential streets.

She noted that the Problem Properties Forum submitted a memorandum to the City proposing a moratorium on further student residence development applications.

Kristopher noted that Glenwood, Bulwer and Umbilo were established residential areas with ageing infrastructure and longstanding service delivery challenges and that additional development and increased occupancy must be assessed against the actual capacity of existing infrastructure.

“The City cannot continue approving developments without demonstrating that the cumulative demand can be accommodated and that the necessary upgrades and maintenance will be provided,” she said.

“I am calling for a comprehensive review of student accommodation development across the affected precincts, including the cumulative impact of existing and proposed projects, the adequacy of planning controls, the capacity of municipal infrastructure and the effectiveness of enforcement,” said Kristopher.

Spokesperson for the eThekwini Municipality, Senzelwe Mzila, said that the City was ensuring compliance from the initial stages of building plan submissions, intended building use, site builds and engineering approvals.

Asked about the measures being implemented by the City to ensure that historical buildings within Ward 33 were not affected by these developments, Mzila said that protecting the character of established neighbourhoods was built into the City’s student accommodation framework.

“This specialist research that informed the Management Layers specifically considered neighbourhood character, and every application is assessed for its compatibility with the surrounding area.

“A condition of approval is that the building remains compatible with the character of the surrounding neighbourhood. Student accommodation is therefore not intended to occur randomly throughout established residential areas, but only in identified locations and subject to municipal approval,” he said.

Mzila said that the City’s student accommodation policy required for illegal student accommodation to go through the necessary application process to regularise the use where possible, and provides for enforcement action where contraventions are not rectified.

Speaking about the existing infrastructure’s capacity to match the additional development and increased occupancy in Ward 33, Mzila said that the Management Layers were defined through specialist research that assessed infrastructure capacity, public transport access and existing capacity of each area, adding that every application was also individually assessed against municipal service capacity and traffic impacts.

“To prevent overcrowding, the policy framework for student accommodation operating from a dwelling house has provided for a maximum of 12 occupants and six bedrooms, with a responsible manager or owner resident on the property or clearly identified in the Management Plan,” he said.

He added that unauthorised conversions bypassed these assessments, which was why the City placed strong emphasis on compliance and enforcement.

The City said that while it acknowledges the concerns raised about these properties, the municipality’s position was that the need for safe, affordable student accommodation close to campuses is real, and that the most effective response was a controlled planning framework combined with firm enforcement.

Mzila said that the City had been planning for student accommodation since 2019.

“The ‘Student Accommodation for Two Precinct Areas’ study, covering the UKZN Howard College and Varsity Drive/Westwood areas, was adopted by Council on 31 July 2019.

“A second precinct plan was developed for the Durban University of Technology, covering the Steve Biko, Ritson, ML Sultan and City campuses. Both studies were translated into the Land Use Scheme and its GIS Management Layers,” he said.

Mzila said that the 2025/2026 Annual Scheme Review re-evaluated the layers around UKZN Howard College and the UKZN Medical School because of high demand.

“Proposed amendments include expanded Management Layers, additional consent provisions, and updated definitions and development controls with the aim of encouraging compliance, registration and adequate accommodation close to educational institutions. The intention is not to open every residential property to student accommodation.

“Students deserve safe accommodation. Communities deserve well-managed neighbourhoods. Property owners deserve a clear and predictable planning process. eThekwini Municipality’s approach is to address all three through responsible planning, appropriate approvals and effective compliance,” he said.

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Durban University of Technology responds

The Durban University of Technology’s Senior Director of Corporate Affairs, Alan Khan, said the university has 10 student residences within Ward 33.

He said that the University’s Procurement Unit oversees the required processes relating to student accommodation. “Relevant documentation is validated and verified as part of the tender process to ensure that all required criteria are met,” he said.

Khan added that DUT has residence rules, disciplinary processes and Residence Life Leadership structures in place to encourage responsible student conduct.

“Students living in residences are expected to comply with relevant laws, municipal by-laws and residence rules, while being mindful of and respectful towards neighbouring communities.

“Where a residence activity is likely to cause noise or disruption, Residence Advisors will, where appropriate, engage the relevant building managements or landlord in advance,” he said.

Khan added that this allows affected parties to be informed about the planned activity and its expected duration. Any concerns that arise are addressed through the appropriate University and property-management channels.

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