Swansea councillors have opposed two new student flat blocks for the city, despite repeatedly criticising the number of applications for houses of multiple occupation (HMO) brought before them for approval.

The blocks near Swansea rail station and in SA1 would offset the need for 201 five-bedroom HMOs.

But members of the planning committee rejected one for 414 students near the rail station, off Jockey Street, on the grounds of its design, scale and parking provision of four spaces.

A planning agent on behalf of the applicant said they were considering an appeal.

The committee also voted against a 591-bedroom development in Kings Road , SA1, on the grounds of parking, design and concerns about how rubbish created by students living there would be collected.

This was despite Ryan Thomas, Swansea’s development, conservation and design manager, reminding them that plans for a slightly smaller student development in the same Kings Road site had been allowed on appeal by a Welsh Government inspector after being thrown out by the committee.

The inspector, he said, had rejected the previous parking and design concerns raised by councillors.

Addressing the committee after the vote, Mr Thomas said: “I have got serious concerns about the reasons for refusal.

"I have got serious concerns that the authority will be exposed to costs.”

An aerial view of Uplands

Referring to planning inspectors, Councillor Paulette Smith railed against “being dictated to by somebody outside our city who overturns our decisions”.

And, while she appreciated there was the potential of costs being imposed on the council, she described the situation as "emotional blackmail”.

Mr Thomas urged the committee to defer its decision until the next meeting so that more discussions could take place about the rubbish and parking — a request the committee eventually agreed with.

The big developments taking place in Swansea

There's plenty going on in Swansea at the moment, with a number of big developments in progress or planning.

Here's a few of them...

* A new digital indoor arena is planned for next to the LC as part of the St David's development. It will have a 'digital skin' which will display images across the entire frontage of the building. Diggers have already moved on to the site.

* There could be cable cars, zip lines and luge tracks coming to Swansea in a development on Kilvey Hill and linking up with the Hafod Copperworks site.

* And at the Hafod Copperworks site is hoped to be a new Penderyn Distillery complete with visitor centre, shop, tasting bar and exhibition space.

*Swansea's old Aspers Casino site in the City Gates complex will be getting a new 14-lane bowling Alley. Superbowl UK is behind the plans.

*Students in Swansea can get excited about a new £300m Swansea SA1 campus. It is being created by University of Wales Trinity Saint David and the first students were expected to start going there this August.

Earlier in the meeting, and not for the first time, the planning committee felt its hands were tied in respect of HMO applications which had been recommended for approval by officers.

Ward members from Uplands and St Thomas then delivered well-rehearsed arguments claiming that a tipping point had been reached and that streets were being overrun by HMOs.

In familiar scenes, some committee members expressed their frustration. Two councillors, Richard Lewis and Linda Tyler-Lloyd, left the chamber after having their say.

“We are being pushed into a corner and we can’t say ‘no’,” said Councillor Mary Jones.

Video Loading

The situation, said Councillor Linda Tyler-Lloyd, reminded her of the Falklands War.

“My husband was convinced we would not win — I said we would,” she said. “This council has no backbone, no fight.”

Uplands councillor Peter May, who is not on the committee, said he felt officers should make more use of existing planning policies to recommend HMOs were turned down.

He said he was “genuinely baffled” that HMO planning appeal cases seemed to be “cut and pasted” into reports before the committee, when this didn’t seem to apply to planning applications about neon signs, for example.

An officer said the appeal decisions were a “material consideration”.

The proposed student block for Kings Road, SA1

The committee voted in favour of new HMOs in Danygraig Road in Port Tennant and Rhyddings Park Road, Brynmill , but rejected one for Lewis Street, St Thomas.

Last summer the committee voted against draft planning guidance which would have limited HMOs to a 25% density in Uplands and Brynmill and 10% in most other areas.

This decision was welcomed by many people in Uplands and Brynmill, who wanted a 15% threshold, but others said it would leave the area undefended.

Speaking at the time, Uplands councillor Nick Davies said: “Many are celebrating victory now but I fear this was a massive own goal, leaving Uplands unprotected from HMO overload.”

Council leader Rob Stewart said he did not believe the 15% cap favoured by many people in Uplands could be defended.

The matter will be discussed in the coming weeks as part of the new local development plan (LDP) being finalised for Swansea.

At this week’s committee meeting, Councillor May said 10% thresholds were “widely accepted” in other parts of the UK.

Swansea’s two universities are expected to cater for 32,000 students in six years’ time — a rise of nearly 6,000 from 2014/15.

Swansea University expects to accommodate 3,000 students at its Fabian Way campus by 2022. But it also estimates that around 13,500 students could be learning there by 2025.

Councillors who speak out against HMOs and purpose-built student blocks in their areas always say they have got nothing against students.

St Thomas councillor Joe Hale has called for university chiefs to build more campus accommodation.

Swansea University's Bay Campus

Asked what the solution was to the student accommodation issue, especially in the light of the planning committee meeting, a Swansea University spokeswoman said it "prides itself on the provision of a wide range of accommodation solutions to support the student experience".

She said the university had managed accommodation on its Singleton and Bay campuses, and in Hendrefoilan Student Village.

“Additionally, our student accommodation services helps students find affordable, high-quality accommodation in the private sector, which is also managed by the university," she said.

“Swansea University is also currently looking to build additional student residences at the Bay Campus."