Three-bedroom Northampton family home to be turned into HMO for seven people despite 190 objections

Proposals to convert a Northampton property, on 68 The Drive in Abington, were given the stamp of approval by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) at a committee meeting on Thursday, June 5.

The applicant, Kim Opszala, originally submitted plans to use the home as a 10-person HMO. She reduced the number down to seven following negotiations with the council. Blueprints show single storey side and rear extensions will be added onto the house to make more room for the conversion.

A total of 190 residents, along with Northampton Town Council (NTC) and Labour ward councillor Zoe Smith, objected to the plans.

Cllr Smith told planning members: “Seven unrelated adults is very noticeably different from a three-bedroom family home. I think it is the sheer overdevelopment that is one of the greatest concerns with this application.”

Andrew Morrison, who said he lived near the site, also asked members to turn down the plans. He said his “heart dropped” when a neighbour first informed him of the HMO plans.

“They are not interested in providing quality housing, but just how many people they can get into a house and how much rent it will deliver,” he claimed.

Local resident Ian Gardner addressed issues with a lack of parking provision for the homes. He said the council’s survey results, which found there were 24 available parking spaces along the street, were ‘absurd’ to anyone who lives there.

Ward member Cllr Bob Purser also told members that it would be a “very sad loss” and undermine the area’s sense of community if the HMO was approved.

The seven bedrooms would be split across the ground floor, first floor, and a loft conversion, per the planning documents. All tenants would have their own ensuite bathrooms, with a communal open plan kitchen and living area downstairs.

Applicant Mrs Opszala told committee members in response to concerns: “We’re aware of the number of objections, but we respectfully point out that this does not represent the full picture. We believe planning decisions should be based on planning merit and policy compliance, not on volume of orchestrated responses.

“This is a well-considered, policy-compliant HMO application that meets local housing needs, particularly for young professionals and students where shared housing is the only option. We’re going over and above to make it a nice environment for the tenants.”

Committee members followed officers’ recommendations and gave the HMO plans the green light.