HMO given green light despite objections
GoogleA council has approved plans for a four-bedroom house of multiple occupation (HMO) despite dozens of objections.
South Tyneside Council backed a bid to convert the property in Kent Street into shared housing, made of four en-suite bedrooms with communal living and kitchen areas.
About 40 people objected to the plans, raising concerns about the "overconcentration of HMOs" in the area and the possibility of noise, anti-social behaviour and "high tenant turnover".
Planners said there was no evidence the property would generate "crime and anti-social behaviour", and bringing the building back into use would help meet housing needs.
The application said the proposed HMO would "provide high-quality shared accommodation" and the expected number of occupants would not be "materially different from a typical family household".
The decision comes a year after the council, then run by Labour, removed development rights for small HMOs, meaning each conversion now requires planning permission, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Last week, the council, now led by Reform UK, rejected a proposal to convert a three-bedroom house into a six-bedroom HMO on nearby Surrey Street.
The proposal faced backlash from residents, with a petition opposing the scheme attracting 480 signatures.
