Plans to expand a Portsmouth HMO shared home set for a decision

Proposals to convert 3 Pains Road, in Southsea, from a six-bed house in multiple occupancy (HMO) into a seven-bed will be considered at a planning committee meeting next week.

If approved an existing ground floor study in the house will be transformed into a bedroom.

The house sits within an area known to residents as 'the ladder', which is bordered by Montgomerie Road and Cottage Grove, and has a high proportion of HMOs - averaging more than 60 per cent of homes.

A total of 117 representations against the plans have been made by residents living in the area with concerns over noise, disturbance and rubbish.

In a shared objection they said: 'As supplementary planning document 20 states that applications for sui generis HMOs will be rejected where the application site is in an area where more than 10 per cent of properties are already in HMO use, we expect and demand that Portsmouth City Council follows its own planning guidance and rejects this application, consistent with its stated aim of supporting balanced and sustainable communities.

‘A recent appeal against rejection of a similar C4 to sui generis HMO conversion at 13 Wyndcliffe Road, Southsea, was dismissed by the planning inspectorate, who in their decision confirmed that “this intensification would conflict with the provisions of the development plan and supplementary guidance and would harm the housing mix of the area to the detriment of the local community”.

‘Approval of these sui generis HMO applications significantly impacts residents in respect to parking noise, disturbance, anti-social behaviour, litter and rubbish.’

SEE ALSO: Find out how many shared homes are in your Portsmouth road with our map

In a report compiled by the city council it stated that there was a 'significant level' of shared homes in Pains Road, with 31 out of 53 properties registered as HMOs.

It also revealed 80 properties within a 50 metre radius of 3 Pains Road were HMOs - or 53.5 per cent, which is 'far in excess' of the council's threshold of 10 per cent.

A decision on the plans will be made at a virtual planning meeting on Tuesday, February 23.

The applicant, Simon Birmingham, was approached for comment.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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