Neighbours have criticised plans for a HMO next door to their homes citing a lack of houses for families. A plan has been put forward to rearrange the downstairs and add a loft dormer extension to a house on Chandos Street, Netherfield so it can be used it as a seven bedroom house of multiple occupancy (HMO).
A motion to introduce changes to planning rules to reduce houses of multiple occupancy was previously heard at at a Gedling Borough Council meeting on April 20. At this meeting the principle of making of an Article 4 Direction for Netherfield, which would enable local councils to further scrutinise plans for HMO conversion, was referred to Cabinet.
Neighbour Fliss Knowlden, 44, who works in customer services, said that locals thought the plan was "crazy". "It just seems crazy to me. The reason why we are against it is because we struggled to get this house.
Read more: Concern over HMOS in Netherfield which 'destroy community' and create 'parking chaos'
"We had to pay over the odds to get our house because all the family homes had been turned into HMOs. I do not know why a house this size would be taken out of the family stock when it is in a prime family area.
"The dormer on the back would overlook us. It would break-up the community, the trouble with HMOs is that you do not get to know the people that move in."
Government changes in 2010 allowed property owners to automatically convert properties to HMOs under permitted development rights. This means applicants do not have to have their plans scrutinised by councillors at a local authority planning committee.
Sandra Flatwell, 73, and Bev Flatwell, 73, who live on Chandos Street, thought there were a lot of problems with the plan. "There is a lot of problems we have with it. Who is it that is coming in?" Mrs Flatwell said.
"I feel like it will get the go ahead anyway. We're not happy about it at all, wherever you look there is a HMO.
"It could be a death trap coming out of here with all the parked cars. Where are they going to put them all with seven rooms."
Mr Flatwell added: "The Victorian houses are not suited for it. You've got the issue of how the waste bins are going to be managed as well.
"I think that Article 4 is really needed. There's a lot of the them that have popped up in Netherfield."
An Article 4 Direction has been introduced by Nottingham City Council and Broxtowe Borough Council, with concerns previously raised about the rise in family homes in the likes of Beeston and Lenton being converted into HMOs for students.
Another frustrated neighbour, who wanted to stay anonymous, said: "There's plenty of apartments and not enough family homes. We had a meeting about HMOs and there was a family there who knew someone that was evicted so that their rented home could be turned into a HMO.
"We needed to stop this, Article 4 needed to be passed. The values of properties here will decrease because of it."
Nottinghamshire Live attempted to contact applicant for comment. The application is currently pending consideration by Gedling Borough Council.
