‘Our street is no place to set up expanded HMO,’ say worried residents

A Woolwich resident warned “there will be mental health problems” for neighbours arising from a newly-approved House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) after approval was given for a sixth occupant on the premises.

Greenwich council has approved an application for a sixth resident and a rear extension added to 17 Moordown – an end-of-terrace home on a residential street between Woolwich Common and Shrewsbury Park – which garnered 50 objections from local residents.

Objectors took issue with the potential precedent the approval could mean for the creation of more HMOs in the area as well as the potential traffic issues, noise concerns and the “increased chance of disputes between residents” that an influx of six people to the street could cause.

Plans to change the use of the single family home into a five-person HMO were approved last December. The application to add a sixth went before Greenwich council’s local planning meeting on Tuesday where it was approved at three votes to one.

Several Moordown residents opposed to the plans attended the meeting to share their views. Michael O’Sullivan said: “Nobody in our stretch of the road wants this HMO. I’ve spoken to some of the people who are in close proximity to the HMO and I’m telling you there are going to be mental health problems. People are very stressed and they are fearful of what’s coming down the line for them and I think that needs to be considered.”

Another Moordown resident and objector Helen Palmer wanted the council to acknowledge her fear that the proposed occupancy of six could double to 12 at any time if friends or partners of tenants wished to stay over.

She said: “As it stands, the demographic of Moordown consists largely of families, often with young children, and/or elderly residents. There is a really strong feeling of community cohesion. The applicant has suggested in their proposal that a house of multiple occupancy is no different to a family residence. We know that this is not true.

“Both groups are entitled to their lifestyle choices but they are not compatible, and if you put them next door to each other, literally by bringing one in you will eventually start to force out the other. I know we are facing a housing crisis, but changing small family homes into smaller units is not the way to solve it.”

Despite these objections, Greenwich planning officers recommended that the application be approved for a number of reasons, including that the HMO would contribute to local housing needs and that it “would not result in any unacceptable impacts to the amenity enjoyed by neighbouring occupiers”.

Cllr Asli Mohammed voted in favour of the approval as she said “the application meets all the relevant planning criteria and regulations”. However, she was critical of the applicant and those on their behalf as she believed that they had not done enough to consult with Moordown residents.

Cllr Mohammed said: “We are losing family homes that we really can’t afford to lose. We have to balance family homes against HMOs; how many family homes are losing, how many HMOs are we creating. We have to balance that and that is something for the council to review.”

Cllr Pat Greenwell voted against approval of the application which resulted in a round of applause from the public gallery. She said: “The people who are here tonight, the objectors, have come along and they’ve said their piece. It was full of emotion.

“It’s not just a building. People are going to have their amenity destroyed because of this HMO. Their lives destroyed, that’s their amenity. I’m sorry but I will not be supporting this application. I just can’t.”