Plans for four HMOs to be considered by Portsmouth council next week

Members of Portsmouth City Council's planning committee will discuss proposals to add extra rooms to houses in multiple occupancy (HMOs) in Festing Grove, Green Road and St Andrew's Road, in Southsea, as well as create a new HMO in Stubbington Avenue, in North End.

Two of the applications have sparked objections from residents including a home in Festing Grove, which had its plans deferred at a meeting in February to provide more information on other HMOs in the area.

Since then it has been confirmed that within 50 metres of the property 6.5 per cent of homes are HMOs - within the council's 10 per cent limit.

But Susan Jones, who lives in Festing Grove, said: 'I am concerned about the number of rooms proposed in the development. Seven double bedrooms could equate to 14 people living in a property designed as a private residence.

'Fourteen people will ultimately make more noise coming and going , they will produce more rubbish than a typical family and there is the potential for 14 extra cars being parked in an already crowded street.'

Neighbours also had concerns about a home in Stubbington Avenue, which could be transformed from a family home to a four-bedroom HMO.

Fearon Road resident Barry Blake said: 'The said property has been nothing but problems with regular visits from the police and drug problems.

'This area is slowly being turned into a bedsit wonderland just like Southsea just not nice.'

Paul Ellis, also from Fearon Road, added: 'At present we have two (HMOs) registered in Fearon Road both of which we were guaranteed would be for professional people who would be using bikes or buses for transport and a bike shed on planning now a smoking shed, but that never happened and an extra eight cars have appeared in the road.

'Along with the many unregistered HMOs in Stubbington Avenue that Portsmouth City Council is unaware of, the parking issue is out of control.'

The other two applications - in Green Road and St Andrew's Road - have 10.6 per cent and 33 per cent HMOs within a 50 metre radius respectively.

Plans will be decided on Wednesday, March 11.