There will be a borough-wide review of HMOs. North East Lincolnshire Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson has portfolio responsibilities for housing, and held a meeting this week to receive a petition. It had 183 signatures, and opposed a proposed HMO in Douglas Road, Cleethorpes . He referred the petition to council officers. He also requested a report from officers on the situation of HMOs in the borough generally. Read More: New mural is the (ice) cream of the crop as Cleethorpes pub transformed Grimsby's traffic disruption debated as proposal for charter with utility companies is rejected David Lamb presented the petition on behalf of Stephen Siltstone, who lives next door to the house. "The residents of Douglas Road and the surrounding roads are against this property being turned from a family home into an HMO," he said, reading a statement from Mr Siltstone. No notification to residents was reported. "This only came to my attention when I saw work carried out by contractors next door." "I'm a homeowner, as are so many of the other residents on this road." The prospect of diminished house value was raised. "Who would buy a house next door or near to an HMO?" Mr Siltstone had sought estate agent advice on if an HMO would devalue nearby properties, and was advised it depended who lived there, but it probably would. Parking of cars and vans was also raised, with the street already problematic. "The bin wagon has trouble getting down and turning round." A number of other concerns were raised, including noise pollution, and drink and drugs. Mr Siltstone's statement reported that six HMOs had been closed down in the borough in the last year, with the
police involved too. The house had been bought by a private company, who have bought 36 in the area. "We the residents have sent this petition to hopefully stop this going ahead." "I think it's something we need to look at," said Cllr Philip Jackson, pictured, of the issue of houses in multiple occupation in the borough (Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford) Sidney Sussex Ward Cllr Sophia Farren said she had been approached by many residents of Douglas Road about it. The rear garden's state was of particular concern. "The back of the property, it's just rubble." This suggested all activity would be at the front, she said, which she warned would cause "maximum disturbance for everybody". She was also concerned it is preventing young families living in the area. Cllr Farren reported that the house had a long-serving tenant, who had children, who moved to a flat after the back garden would not be addressed. "I just think we need to be looking at the quality of the housing and start to work together," said Cllr Farren. "Clearly, the issue of HMOs is raising its head increasingly across the borough," said Cllr Jackson. "And I think it's something we need to look at." The requested report he said needed to explore how to move forward with HMOs in the future. He was questioned about the speed of this by Mr Siltstone after the meeting, and how the Douglas Road HMO could be permitted by then. Cllr Jackson promised to get the report back as soon as possible. But he stated he did not want to raise false hopes. Join the FREE Grimsby Live
WhatsApp Community Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp - all you need to do is click the link . We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . An enforcement investigation for unauthorised change of use of the home, reported by a member of the public, is pending. If an HMO is six beds or fewer, it is not large enough to require a planning application, so can be granted under permitted development rights. These restrict legal grounds for refusal. HMOs concern increasingly prominent Half a dozen borough residents and two councillors attended the petition meeting, indicative of increased concern about HMOs. A proposed eight bed HMO in Brighowgate, Grimsby , was refused by councillors at planning last year . The developer has appealed it . Evidence has been submitted by interested parties, but a decision is pending. Lib Dem Cllr Nicola Aisthorpe has launched two petitions calling for Article 4 directions in Park and East Marsh wards, separately. This removes permitted rights for smaller HMOs, but requires
Secretary of State sign-off to get. Six areas of the borough already have Article 4 directions. Lib Dem campaigners Zach Kellerman and Cllr Nicola Aisthorpe, with their Article 4 HMOs petition (Image: Grimsby and Cleethorpes Liberal Democrats) Park Ward councillors, who are Conservative , favour a selective licensing scheme to pursue. Cllr Jackson has also stated an Article 4 direction application is a time-consuming process, open to legal challenge, and not necessarily successful. He said there had been no formal approach from Cllr Aisthorpe or other councillors about getting an Article 4 direction in. Cllr Aisthorpe has said this is incorrect. "I personally wrote to officers about Article 4 directions on two occasions last year - on November 8 and again on November 18. These emails were intended to initiate discussion regarding Article 4 directions and explore potential solutions to the challenges posed by unregulated HMOs." She also had contacted a Park Ward councillor and the planning committee on December 21 to inform them of her seeking an Article 4 direction. "In our opinion, the benefits that Article 4 directions offer in terms of community well-being, far outweighs the effort they may pose to obtain."