"Shame on you all": Plans REFUSED to convert Northampton town house into seven-bed HMO

Proposals were submitted in April to convert 235 Abington Avenue into an HMO for seven people. The application was refused by West Northants Council (WNC) on Tuesday (July 23).

A total of 19 objections were submitted by Abington residents, citing issues like parking, refuse, over-development, neighbour impact, noise, traffic, density, safety, and litter.

One resident voiced an incredibly strong objection, slamming ‘greedy landlords’ and ‘shaming’ both them and WNC.

The resident said: “Despite the recent HMO regulations brought in, greedy landlords continue to pack people into homes when the local infrastructure is unfit to support them. The council allows this to happen and then complains when there's a rise in social issues and littering. Is it really a surprise that this occurs in areas where people are forced to live in squalid conditions, which hardly support a feeling of shared community? This application is a bid for personal enrichment at the expense of the community. And certainly at the expense of people forced to live in overcrowded HMOs in an area disintegrating from these practices and full of angry, frustrated residents who are quick to blame them. It is the landlords who are to blame and the council that supports them. Shame on you all.”

Speaking on behalf of residents in her ward, Labour Councillor Zoe Smith objected, saying: “The road in question is already very densely populated with a large number of houses in multiple occupation and flats. This would represent further overdevelopment of the area and have a significant impact on the neighbours and the residential amenity of the area. Parking in this area is well beyond capacity and there are significant problems with congestion and air pollution along this road. Placing seven adult residents into one home would significantly exacerbate this problem. The infrastructure in the area is already stretched, with refuse and waste disposal a particular issue, this application would be likely to exacerbate these issues.”

The applicant, a Mr V Kryshinets argued: “The applicant said: “The proposed development would not lead to an unacceptable concentration of HIMOs within the locality and thus would not adversely impact upon the character of the local area, nor would the development have significant adverse impacts on neighbouring amenity or parking provision. 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.”

A WNC planning officer explained the reason for refusal, stating: “The property is located along a terraced residential street where properties share party walls with one another. Due to the proposed number of occupiers, relationship with adjoining properties, and transient nature of the proposal, it is considered that the proposal would lead to an increase in comings and goings and noise detrimental to residential amenity.”

The WNC spokesman added: “The loss of a family home is not considered a concern in this case given there would still be a large percent of family dwellings on the same street. As no parking beat survey has been submitted despite policy stating one “must” be submitted alongside an HMO application, it is reasonable to infer that parking within the area is either insufficient or at best minimal.”