Resident who has 'had enough' of shared and student homes says Southsea is becoming 'like a Victorian slum'
A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER who has lived in Southsea for 20 years has warned of the area becoming 'like a Victorian slum' as a shared home that backs on to her garden is due for an extension.
Fawcett Road resident, Jackie Line, said she has 'had enough' of nearby properties becoming uni homes and houses in multiple occupancy (HMOs) following incidents of loud noise and students 'climbing up on extensions.'
Now a house in Trevor Road that backs on to her garden is due for a three metre single storey extension, without needing planning permission due to national policy.
But the 83-year-old is calling for stricter rules. She said: 'The extension will finish just metres from my back fence.
'It looks like there are about eight or nine students living there. Some of them are very nice but students in general are a pain.
'My garden is my sanctuary. The last thing I want is students coming out the back of the house.
'They shouldn't be able to build extensions like this without checking with neighbours.'
According to recent Portsmouth City Council data, 99 out of 420 homes on Fawcett Road - or 23.5 per cent - are known to be HMOs. In Trevor Road 39.2 per cent of homes are shared.
Mrs Line, who suffers with arthritis, rheumatism and a serious heart condition, added: 'There's an enormous mass of students living next to residents in this street.
'My neighbours have complained as well. There's an extension on a student house nearby. They used to climb on it and play loud music.
The one storey extension to the Trevor Road property has permitted development rights because it is within the size guidelines set by government. This means it does not need planning permission.
This year two applications have been made for HMOs in Fawcett Road as well as one to create a larger HMO and two for single story rear extensions.
And a 43-room student block was recently built on the corner of Fawcett Road and Heyward Road by developers JLC.
It is thought 16,800 of the University of Portsmouth's 25,000 students live in the city, both in halls and other types of accommodation.
The owner of the Trevor Road property was approached for comment.