Residents 'horrified' by plans to turn 'beautiful family home' in Rushden into 10-person HMO
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
A bid has been submitted to North Northants Council (NNC) to convert a property in Park Road into a 10-bedroom HMO. One of the major complaints from homeowners in the surrounding area is the lack of parking provision, which would be entirely dependent on on-street parking.
If approved, the two-story property could welcome up to 10 new tenants into the area. Blueprints show each room has its own en-suite bathroom and a communal kitchen and living area has been marked out on the ground floor.
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Hide AdA shared garden with a sheltered cycle store for all 10 residents will also be located at the rear of the house.
One concerned member of the public said: “I strongly object to the application to ruin what could be a beautiful family home, in keeping with the vernacular of the area. Many residents are horrified by the negative impact of the usual HMO short term single men.
“Noise, security and health are of serious concern. They or their visitors may have cars. Possibly 20 at once. Parking is a serious problem.
“As a woman I am in serious fear of safety, noise, anti-social behaviour, rubbish etc. We have other single females and elderly residents also who are very upset and concerned.”
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Hide AdThe applicant, Maxim Bogush, submitted in the application that tenants would only be accepted into the HMO after proper background checks were carried out.
He also said a condition would be added to the contract that if any tenant demonstrated anti-social behaviour or caused issues at the property or with neighbours they would be evicted.
Another objector wrote: “We are worried about noise and inappropriate behaviour with the risk of 10 individuals and visitors. I’m surprised planning would have been applied for given how bad the parking already is in the area – it’s just not a suitable property for a HMO.
“This is a real concern for us and having spoke to neighbours, they share the same concerns.”
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Hide AdA parking beat survey undertaken by the applicant suggests there is sufficient on-street parking space in the surrounding area. The local highways authority has raised no objections to their claims.
The applicant has suggested that future occupants would most likely walk or ride a bike to Rushden’s High Street, which is less than a 10-minute walk from the home, rather than drive a private car.
Rushden Town Council also objected to the proposals, highlighting their concern that plans show that each of the 10 rooms contains double beds and therefore could result in even more people staying in the house.
The applicant has contended that if planning permission for the 10 rooms is eventually denied he will simply reduce the occupancy to six persons and carry on with plans, which would not require council permission.
According to the NNC website, the consultation period on the proposals has ended, however there is no committee date set out yet for the decision.