Angry residents in 'beautiful' Northampton neighbourhood slam plans to convert ANOTHER family home into HMO

Residents in a ‘beautiful’ Northampton neighbourhood are objecting in their droves against ANOTHER house in multiple occupation (HMO) planned for their street.

Plans have been submitted to West Northants Council to convert number six King Edward Road, in Abington, into a six-bedroom HMO without any extra parking provision, a common feature of HMO applications.

The applicant, V Kryshinets, said in planning papers: “Whilst it is anticipated that most people these days have vehicles, it is probably more than likely that the persons who occupy this property will not own a car, knowing the property is only a short walking distance from local shopping facilities.”

However, since the application was submitted on February 23, more than 16 residents have blasted the plans.

One impassioned resident wrote: “The amount of HMOs in Northampton is staggering. The transient nature of those in need of such accommodation has led to a rise in overinflated rents, overcrowded public spaces and amenities, increase in litter and fly tipping, and a parking space deficit. You may think this is an exaggeration, or that it’s somehow discriminatory, but as a resident of a road with many HMOs I can attest to the problems they create.

"The houses around here are beautiful family homes, designed with care and built to last, and they are not cheap.

"If every other house on the road is a HMO it brings down the value of the street – not just financially. Walk around and see. Rubbish everywhere, discarded belongings, run down buildings. By ripping out the history and purpose of these buildings, you create an environment of carelessness, of a temporary setting that people do not care about, of poor quality. Everything is cheap and disposable.

"There is so much going for Northampton but it’s drowning in problems created, in no small part, to overcrowding by people of a transient disposition.”

Labour councillor Bob Purser (Abington and Phippsville ward) added: “It represents an overdevelopment of this property, there is insufficient available parking for this house and it will result in the loss of a family home.”

HMO campaigner Sally Pagano, who runs Northampton HMO Action Group on Facebook, believes there is a special covenant on this land.

She said: “This covenant applies to all properties built on land bequeathed by Lady Wantage and is irrevocable and enforceable by law. This covenant appears on the deeds of properties in Sandringham Road as well as King Edward Road.”

Sally says she is still investigating the covenant and which properties it applies to – but if it’s correct, she would like to see it upheld by WNC.

Sally said: “We are calling for all the conditions under this covenant to be upheld. Not just for this property but all like it. It’s really important we stand up to this.”

WNC said it is unable to comment on a live planning application but did comment on the covenant query.

A WNC spokesman said: “In terms of a legal covenant, this lies outside of the scope of the application and were any form of application to be determined it does not override any legal covenant or ownership element which sits upon a building or land.”

There are currently four listed HMOs in King Edward Road, according to the council.