‘Overcrowded’ Smethwick HMO plan is blocked

The application to convert the home in Cheshire Road, Smethwick, into an eight-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) was rejected by planners at Sandwell Council over concerns it would add to parking problems.

The planning application resulted in petitions with nearly 100 signatures being handed to Sandwell Council opposing the move.

The local authority’s planners said the proposed HMO, which would double the size of the existing four-bed Victorian mid-terrace home, would result in more noise and disturbance for neighbours as well as add to the area’s parking problems.

A report outlining the council’s rejection said the plans showed one shared kitchen for the eight residents but did not include seating or a fridge.

The rooms, the majority of which measured between six and nine square metres, contained enough room for a bed and wardrobe, the council added, but little else for a desk or chair.

The applicant Karanjeet Singh had told the council that the home’s basement could be used as a shared facility which planners ruled would “not provide a suitable living environment".

The council’s report concluded: “It is acknowledged that the proposal would provide an increase in affordable housing which would meet a specific need.

“However, the merits of providing such accommodation would not outweigh the harm identified.”

The council’s highways department was also concerned that allowing a HMO with no parking spaces in an already cramped and congested street would “set a precedent".

West Midlands Police also objected to the application with the force concerned by the lack of security and management plans – particularly with the potential HMO being in a ‘high-crime rate area’ – as well as the lack of parking spaces and the building being overcrowded.

The home could still be converted into a six-bed HMO without planning permission, the council said.