Concerns raised over plans to turn family apartment into HMO

The application, made on behalf of Mr Raj Kumar Sethi, said there would be no external changes to the properties on 38 Imperial Crescent and only “minor internal changes to create bedrooms”.

A statement accompanying the application said: “The property currently consists of 7 bedrooms, of which 3 are en-suites, two bathrooms, one large living room and one large open plan kitchen and dining room.

“It is proposed to change the large living room to smaller living room and a bedroom. The kitchen currently only has one sink and one 6 burner gas cooker along with microwave and oven. It is therefore proposed to change add an additional sink and small cooker.”

It is understood the current apartments are used as a single family dwelling.

The application also proposed adding bike stands to compliment the existing parking available to the side and front of the building.

“There are many refugees within Doncaster who require adequate housing, we feel this property shall provide brilliant accommodation to the refugees looking for accommodation,” the statement added.

Six objections to the planning application have been lodged, many citing parking and congestion concerns.

One objector said: “There are already many parking issues in the area around the shop, with people parking dangerously on the corner.

“Any additional cars from the tenants will only further exacerbate what is already a terrible situation which could impact the safety of road users and pedestrians.”

Another wrote: “My wife had to park almost a quarter of a mile away from our house in the recent bad weather when returning from work with our young son. The junction is already unsafe with parked cars really restricting visibility.”

Two of the anonymised objections focus on the reference to refugees.

Another suggested an alternative use for the building: “Doncaster Council has indicated a desire to limit the number of HMOs in older properties, as they are often unsuitable and do not align with the city’s long-term housing goals.

“This property could better serve the community by being converted into two reasonable-sized flats for young families rather than an overcrowded HMO.”

Additionally, Tim Simpson, senior environmental health practitioner at the City of Doncaster Council, requested the applicants submit additional information regarding the proposal and recommended the application be refused until this is done.

The application will come before the council planning committee at a later date.