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It’s no secret - the situation in Belfast's Holyland is out of all control. You’ve read about it. You don’t need me to explain why here.

It was out of control nearly 10 years ago too, when I was Vice President of Queen's University Students' Union. Even then, it was a problem that went back many years.

When I was Vice President of the Union, a large part of the Union's time and resources, as well as the University’s time and resources, were spent trying to control the problem. The Union provided stewards for some of the most disruptive days, engaged with residents and agencies all year round, and tried to educate students on being good neighbours.

It was a big chunk of the Union’s work. All of this was done on top of the usual day-to-day of campaigning for students, providing advice services, and waging a (successful) campaign to stop tuition fees for going up.

But all of this work in the Holyland did nothing to solve the problem - and it never will. Because the problem doesn't lie with the students.

The behaviour of many students is obviously horrific. But the root of the problem is landlordism.

A combination of landlords desperate to make money, and lax government regulation created the Holyland problem. Greed and the opportunity to buy up cheap housing turned a mixed, working-class area into a year-round mess. There were no controls on how many HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) were allowed in such a small area, so the greed was allowed to continue.

There is no incentive for landlords to change their ways - they are making too much money. Every year they can fill up poor-quality housing, rammed with as many bedrooms as possible, and profit off the area’s reputation and convenience.

There is only one effective solution. Belfast City Council and the relevant NI Executive departments (who are still being run by civil servants in the absence of politicians) should use Compulsory Purchase Orders to buy up a large chunk of the student housing in the Holyland. They should then convert the properties into much-needed social housing.

(Image: PhotopressBelfast.co.uk - Justin Kernoghan)

If done in big enough quantities, this would completely change the character of the area. A better balance between permanent residents and students would make it a quieter, more stable neighbourhood. In a city with a need for more affordable homes, it’s a plan that would benefit everyone.

The obvious objection to this plan is the cost. Yes, it would cost millions. But the universities, the police and other agencies already spend millions of pounds of taxpayer's money trying to control and police the situation year after year.

The universities spend untold hours of staff time and money attending meetings, liaising with various agencies and administering a disciplinary system. In 2012, Belfast City Council estimated that the annual bill for the Holyland of policing, noise wardens, cleaning and CCTV came to about £3million a year.

On current prices according to Land & Property Services data, you could buy a good chunk of Palestine Street for that bill, and you’d already be well on the way to solving the problem. The costs are probably even higher now.

It is a drastic plan – but every other initiative has and will fail to solve the problem.

It would take political courage to do this. Compulsory Purchase Orders are not often used, and it would take cooperation across different government agencies and departments.

Do our politicians have the courage to adopt a bold plan?

The choice is simple – force the private landlords out, solve the problem and provide much-needed social housing in the process – or we’ll still be talking about this in 10 years.

Adam McGibbon is a writer and campaigner from Belfast, published in titles including The Guardian, The Independent and The New Statesman. He was Vice President of Queens' Students' Union 2010-12.

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