BATTLE lines have been drawn over plans to limit and regulate all shared houses on the Stanmore estate in Winchester.

Hundreds of former council houses have been snapped up by landlords, and many are now leased to students.

Lib Dem-run Winchester City Council is now proposing a pilot scheme where landlords must register all shared houses on the estate.

Council officers would then have powers to inspect properties to check that the living conditions are adequate.

The authority is also looking at tougher rules that would mean all new shared houses would need planning permis-sion.

However, Tory opposition members on the council argue that it will not tackle the impact of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).

Dates for the consultation are yet to be agreed, but it must last for at least ten weeks under Government guidelines.