"Extreme concern" Councillors reject HMO plans despite officer warnings

Members rejected most of the plans for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), mainly citing parking issues. But planning agents and council officers warned the refusals are likely to be overturned on appeal.

In Hilsea, councillors refused an application to convert a house into an eight-bedroom HMO. A local resident, speaking as a survivor of abuse, raised concerns about “living next to a house occupied by up to eight unrelated adults”.

Councillors Emily Strudwick and Russell Simpson also gave deputations, warning of parking pressures, residential disturbance and strain on the sewage system.

Cllr Lee Hunt proposed refusal on grounds of parking, overdevelopment and “concerns over community cohesion”.

Another application in Hilsea, to turn 80 Gladys Avenue into a six-bed HMO, was also refused. Cllr Simpson highlighted the “double yellow lines, bus stops and zig zags” on the road, saying it can “barely accommodate” one car per household.

The refusal was based on a motion by Cllr Hunt citing parking concerns.

In Eastney and Craneswater, a plan to convert a former care home on 55 Ronan’s Road into a 12-bedroom HMO was also rejected.

Speaking for the applicant, Carriane Wells, director of Applecore PDM Ltd, said the property is in “dire need” of redevelopment as it has been vacant for years and suffered from break-ins and anti-social behaviour.

Cllr Matthew Winnington called it “a classic cram it in HMO” and suggested only people with “no other choice” would live there. He also argued the nearby resident parking zone was already over-capacity, and said the proposal breached equality duties as it sat between two care homes for elderly and disabled residents.

The plan was refused on a motion from Cllrs Chris Atwell and Hunt, citing overdevelopment, room sizes and parking.

An application for a seven-person HMO at 16 Munster Road was also refused over parking concerns.

Cllr Hunt criticised the government’s approach, claiming planning committees were being used to “cram” people into spaces “because there’s no real housing being built”.

David Hodges, the council’s head of development management, warned officers cannot advocate decisions “we can’t defend”, pointing to a lack of evidence for parking objections.

He said refusals are likely to be overturned by a planning inspector and expressed his “extreme level of concern” that “officer advice is being disregarded”.

Plans to turn 1 Munster Road into a seven-bed HMO were also refused, again on parking grounds.

In a deputation, Ms Wells said the refusals could cost taxpayers tens of thousands in appeal preparation, “not to mention the time and workload planning officer will have in defending these appeals”.

In Baffins ward, a proposal to turn 45 Tangier Road into a seven-bed HMO was refused on parking grounds.

Mr Hodges said the decision was “completely indefensible” at appeal as the parking standard was identical for both existing and proposed use.

The only plan granted permission was at 22 Laburnum Grove in Nelson ward, where a three-bedroom house will become a three-bedroom HMO. Officers said there were no valid grounds for refusal.