Another HMO approved by Doncaster councillors

The applicant, listed only as Mr P Ghumra, was granted planning permission to formally let the home as a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) on Exchange Street in Hyde Park.

But the plan received seven letters of objection from nearby residents. They raised issues over anti-social behaviour, parking and increased noise disturbance.

But DMBC planning officer Jessica Duffield said: “There are no material planning considerations that would significantly or demonstrably outweigh the social, economic or environmental benefits of the proposal.

“The development would not cause undue harm to neighbouring properties, trees, the highway network or the character of the area.”

Councillors on the planning committee voted seven in favour and three against.

The property would house up to five people all with en-suites and shared kitchen facilities.

The scheme does not include dedicated parking spaces for prospective tenants but the agent confirmed to councillors the property will ‘clearly be marketed’ as having no parking spaces and that no parking is provided.

New restrictions came into effect back in October 2019 in relation to Homes of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) in areas such as Hyde Park, Hexthorpe, Wheatley, Intake and Belle Vue.

The Article 4 Direction was brought in as a measure to control the quantity and quality of HMO properties operating within the area.

Policy 10 of the Emerging Local Plan makes it clear that proposed HMOs ‘must not result in an over-concentration of HMOs within a community/locality/street/row’, or result in a ‘significant adverse impact’ to local amenities.

The policy states that ‘proposals must not create more than two HMOs side by side; the sandwiching of a single self-contained house or flat between two HMOs; more than two HMOs within a run of twenty properties on one side of the road; or more than one HMO in a road of fewer than twenty properties on one side of the road.

Planning officers say the home is already a four-bedroom property and could potentially fit seven people already. Converting it into a five bed HMO would restrict numbers, Ms Duffield said.

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