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Changes to planning laws are being proposed in order to avoid an "exodus" of areas when students leave university and find jobs.

Housing minister Caroline Flint claims she wants to help towns find a correct "blend" of a student population.

She states post-graduates leaving accommodation to start new jobs leave some areas resembling "a ghost town".

Queens University in Belfast is given by the minister as a prime example, in which more than half of households in the surrounding area are occupied by students.

Ms Flint adds: "It is not acceptable that current rental practices allow unplanned student enclaves to evolve to such an extent that local communities are left living as ghost towns following the summer student exodus."

A report released by the minister claims issues such as encouraging universities to develop housing and community strategies should be addressed.

Meanwhile, purchasing student houses can be a "lucrative investment", according to property firm Mouseprice.

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