Rejected HMO plan overruled by inspector

Rejection of plans to build two houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) in a crime-hit street in Wolverhampton have been overruled by a government inspector who has decided the development can go ahead.

City of Wolverhampton Council had thrown out the proposal claiming HMO tenants would result in "more comings and goings" in Fawdry Street, creating noise and nuisance and add to the street's parking problems.

But the inspector said the plan would be no different from two fully-occupied family homes and crime and anti-social behaviour figures provided by police did not prove they were attributable to occupants of HMOs.

There was also no proof the plan would lead to "reckless and overcrowded" parking.

"HMOs are typically occupied by unrelated individuals, often with differing working patterns and social activities, which can contrast with the more co-ordinated activities of family households," the inspector said in a report outlining the approval.

"That said, even allowing for the different occupancy characteristics, based on the evidence provided, I find that the level of activity associated with eight occupants across the two proposed HMOs would not be materially greater than that which could reasonably arise from two single family dwellings."

The council had not substantiated its case regarding parking stress, they added.

Council planners had supported demolishing warehouses on the site and redeveloping it but were not in favour of the plans for HMOs, rejecting them last September.

"Due to the short-term tenancy of HMOs, their occupants tend to be more transient in nature, with fewer connections to or respect for the local area," the council's planners said.

"This can result in tensions with the local more permanent domestic populations, undermining community stability and cohesion."

Outlining the rejection, the council said 50% of all reported crime across Wolverhampton had taken place within 400 metres of an HMO and West Midlands Police data indicated crime was already an issue within the local area.

Planners also highlighted parking problems in the street, with residents already competing for spaces with customers of the nearby Stile Inn, worshippers at two mosques at either end of of the street, and Wolves fans heading to Molineux stadium.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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