Plans for new HMO approved in Bexley

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for a new shared house have been approved, with one councillor warning parts of the borough almost have a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in “every single street”.

Bexley council has approved plans to convert a family home in The Drive, Erith into an HMO for six people.

The application includes changing the garage beside the house into an extra bedroom and changes to the building’s windows.

The topic was discussed at a planning meeting for Bexley council on Thursday, with the plans receiving several objections online from residents.

James Stockdale, a neighbour of the house, said at the meeting that there were already 11 other HMOs within half a mile of the house.

He said: “We believe that the area has an overconcentration of HMOs. Erith has 57, by far the highest in the borough, with double that of any other area.

“Suggesting this house will be the only HMO in this road is not valid to argue a lack of HMO concentration in the area.”

The neighbour said he was speaking on behalf of 44 residents in the area who had previously signed objections to the plans.

He said people were worried the change would “further exacerbate” traffic issues in the road, and called the plan to only have two parking spaces for the building “ludicrous”.

Conservative councillor Howard Jackson said the council needed to address the number of HMOs in the area.

Council documents said there were already 52 HMOs in the same postcode as the house, with 16 and nine in the two neighbouring postcodes.

Cllr Jackson said he didn’t think another shared house in the area was appropriate and didn’t agree with council officers recommending the plans because there was no HMO already on the same road.

He said: “I don’t think we should be doing it street by street. That seems ludicrous, because then we could end up with an HMO on every single street in the borough, and it seems like in some areas of Erith we’re already well on the way to having that.”

Robert Lancaster, head of planning for Bexley council, said at the meeting that there was no guidance on what determined an overconcentration of HMOs in an area.

Pictured top: The house in The Drive in Erith, which will be converted into a six-person HMO (Picture: Google Street View)