THE last permanent resident of a city street is now trapped in her home after she failed in a bid to convert it into student digs - because of new rules she herself campaigned for

Jackie Levitas, who has been the last non-student in Waddington Street, Durham, since 2013, had sought planning permission to turn it into a house of multiple occupation [HMO].

But Durham County Council planners rejected it on the grounds it would lead to a concentration of student accommodation which would harm the area's character and adversely affect other residents.

The 80-year-old, who spent many years campaigning against the spread of student housing, decided to move out this year following a successful appeal to convert the former County Hospital, overlooking Waddington Street, into accommodation for 363 students.

But because of new planning rules introduced in September, which she campaigned for, her application was rejected.

The new Article 4 direction requires home owners to seek planning permission to convert houses into HMOs and applications for areas with more than 10 per cent student housing will be refused.

It includes an exception clause for areas with such high concentrations of HMOs that it will not cause further harm. However, the council says only 70 per cent of houses within 100 metres of Mrs Levitas' home are occupied by students and this is not high enough to trigger the exemption clause.

Mrs Levitas, a poet and former journalist, said: “I was fighting the county hospital plan because I felt it would not benefit my community.

“I was prepared to stay because being the lone resident I felt it was incumbent on me to make a protest. It was only when that last hope went that I became desperate."

A report to the council said: “The applicant has lived in the property for approximately two – three years in which the living conditions have not significantly changed, therefore it is difficult to understand why this proposal has not come forward earlier.”

The council says the 100 metres radius does not include the Village at the Viaduct, which is at the end of Waddington Street, and has space for 223 students.

It says it can't include the proposed student accommodation at the former County Hospital, because it is unoccupied, though it does add it will not adversely impact Waddington Street as it will be accessed mainly via North Road.

Mrs Levitas said: "They say my situation hasn't changed so how does it become unendurable but they don't take into account the accumulation of stress. I really feel it's too much for me. I'm 80 now and that has an effect."

She plans to appeal the decision and questions the council’s method of counting students in the area.

Student landlord Peter Smith, who helped Mrs Levitas with her application, said: “I cannot see that this is how the council foresaw that the Article 4 direction would work by trapping elderly long term residents in their homes and making them unsaleable for evermore.”