Anger as nine-bed HMO application in Waterlooville receives 169 objections
169 objections raised by local residents
Waterlooville residents have objected in their numbers after an application was submitted to turn a house of four two-bedroom flats into nine self-contained units.
The property at 1 Ferndale sits on the corner of the Hulbert Road dual carriageway and leads on to a large residential area. An application to turn the building into a nine-bed HMO has been met with outrage with 169 objections lodged to Havant Borough Council.
The floor plans for the application show that all nine bedrooms would have access to a private ensuite and a kitchenette while there would also be a shared gym.
A statement on the application has listed the current layout as “financially unsustainable” with rental income no longer meeting the mortgage and maintenance costs. Initially the applicant, Sean Barrett, looked at turning it into three family homes but having sought advice from the borough council’s planning department an HMO was deemed more suitable as it would not affect protected trees in the area.
The application states that the HMO would be aimed at “professional occupants” and have a “maximum occupancy of nine residents” with each bedroom allocated its own parking space and cycle storage.
It adds: “The proposal seeks to deliver a high-quality, well-designed living environment that supports the day-to-day needs of modern professionals while reducing pressure on local parking infrastructure and promoting sustainable travel options.”
However the plans have been met by concerns from surrounding residents. One objector labelled the location “totally inappropriate” and said it would have a “detrimental effect” on the area.
Despite the plans stating that it will be aimed at professional occupants, some objectors have speculated over who the occupants would be, but many objections have focussed on practical issues with the move from four units to nine potentially causing issues with parking.
With the floor plans showing generous-sized rooms (14m squared), there are worries that it could be rented to couples which would double the occupancy and potentially see the need for parking for two cars. An increase of cars parking near to the turn-in from the Hulbert Road where cars can travel at speed has been labelled as a danger.
Another complaint from residents is that they were not notified of the application to provide feedback on the consultation, with one residents taking it upon themselves to knock on doors in the area to make their neighbours aware.
One person who was unaware of the application until the neighbour knocked on their door was Steve Bamber.
He said: “The main issue is the change to nine individual units in the house and also the social aspect of the change away from four family units as it currently is. Will those nine people also bring more people onsite, so how that gets controlled and policed in regards to noise and the usage of the building is a concern.
“We want to see the house tidied up for the current residents that live in there and for it to be maintained as a family home in a residential estate. I want to stress that this is not opposition to HMOs or their residents in principle. The concern is whether a large HMO of this particular nature is appropriate at this location and, equally importantly, whether adjoining residents have been properly consulted and given a fair opportunity to comment.”
According to the planning portal the decision was expected on October 14. However, Havant Borough Council have confirmed that some amendments are being made to the plans by the applicant before resubmitting them.
Once they have been resubmitted there will be a new 21-day consultation period with the neighbours.
A council spokesperson said: “Immediate neighbours, statutory consultees, and anyone who has already objected will receive a letter informing them of this, and a new site notice will be posted.”
The application can be viewed on the council’s planning site under reference APP/26/00065.