Decision on Rothwell HMO deferred after concerns raised by the public

Councillors have deferred making a decision on whether a home in a Northamptonshire town should be converted to a 14-person house in multiple occupation.

Under the proposals, West View house, in Rothwell, 43 Kettering Road, would be converted to facilitate seven en-suite double bedrooms, as well a new two-storey house built on the large plot.

The planning committee resolved to delay their verdict to their next meeting after they attend a site visit, despite worries that the applicant could appeal to the council for non-determination and costs.

The Victorian house stands on the corner between residential developments in Kettering Road and Gordon Street.

The main building is currently in a ‘state of disrepair’ according to council documents.

Applicants, Eckland Lodge Business Park Ltd, propose to renovate the property, fitting it with a communal kitchen and a basement living space for the shared occupants.

Plans also highlight the demolition of a separate single-storey building to the rear of the site to erect the new house.

It would contain two double bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and bathrooms.

According to blueprints, there would be 12 car parking spaces on-site, serving a possible 18 tenants.

The HMO and new build have been contended by many neighbours with concerns about the number of residents, noise and a lack of parking.

Louise Hawkley, a resident who lives in the neighbouring property on Gordon Street, attended the meeting to vocalise her objection. She argued that the new two-story building would come at the cost of her privacy in her own home.

She also spoke of the ‘terrible’ parking on the street, saying: “We’ve left this evening and we know that when we get back we will not have a parking space outside our house, or anywhere near our house, because we’ve already got quite a lot of development around us.

“Parking is not just at a premium, it is impossible where I live. This will make it worse.”

A similar application for a nine-person HMO was refused in 2020 due to concerns over parking. However, another application for an eleven-bedroom property with 14 parking spaces was given approval in 2021.

Applicant, Daniel Howes, told the chamber: “I acknowledge that there’s been problems with the site historically before. We have got permission for an 11-bedroom HMO there at the minute so the scheme will reduce that to seven.

“The building has fallen into bad condition. I’m looking at this being a showpiece in Rothwell and absolutely doing this up, or we could default back to 11 bedrooms, stuffing it with people and maximising it that way.

“This will be a beautiful house. I think the scheme I’ve done is actually better than the old scheme.”

Rothwell and Mawsley councillor, Jim Hakewill, also attended the meeting to ask the panel to defer in order to make a ‘safe decision’ on the plans.

He said: “I genuinely think there will be a potential for social unrest between existing long-term neighbours and the new residents who may occupy the renovated development. It is at the entrance to Rothwell and parking there is a nightmare.

“Putting the additional house in and leaving very little amenity space for those residents is not good. Come back and make the decision with the full information.”

Rothwell Town Council did not object to the proposals, stating that the home is ‘now in dire need of renovation’.

NNC planning officers also recommended that permission be granted on this occasion.

Members of the planning committee were warned by legal advisors that if the application wasn’t determined before the end of the week, there was a risk that the applicant could launch a planning appeal against the council for non-determination.

This could potentially include a claim for an ‘award of costs’ if the applicant believes NNC has acted unreasonably.

The panel ultimately decided to defer their decision, giving them time to visit the site and review the evidence more thoroughly.

The next planning committee session will be on March 20, according to the NNC website.