A LONG-AWAITED crackdown on student homes is on the verge of coming into force in Worcester - as it emerged the public have given it the thumbs-up.

The city council has revealed the outcome of a major public consultation into limiting multiple-let homes.

The results are:

- 70 per cent of people to offer an opinion agreed the numbers need to be limited - 86 per cent say the crackdown should apply equally to all parts of the city, so for example St John's would be treated the same as Warndon

- Limiting student homes to 10 per cent of every council ward was backed by 59 per cent of respondents, with just five per cent saying it could be lower and the rest asking it to go higher

The feedback means the council can finally crack on with giving the policy the green light, subject to one final debate by the planning committee.

It means all new Homes of Multiple Occupation (HMOs), property rented to three tenants or more, would need to secure permission for a 'change of use' from the planning committee first.

A cap in each council ward of 10 per cent would also be applied.

The results of the feedback were debated during a meeting of the scrutiny committee.

Councillor Adrian Gregson, who chairs the committee, said: "The overall impression I have from the responses is that people are broadly in favour of the proposed guidance."

Others said it would help make a significant difference in particular parts of the city.

Labour Councillor Joy Squires said: "There are parts of the Arboretum which are very heavily saturated and having that 10 per cent cap will help limit the growth.

"With the growth of the university, for landlords that does open up opportunities for them and for me, this is all about striking a balance in our communities."

Councillor Stephen Hodgson, a Tory, said: "For me our rules need to be flexible enough as the issues are not just about the numbers, it's about the quality of them."

A total of 113 people responded to the survey, which took place between April and May.