South Shields HMO proposal rejected over parking and safety concerns

South Tyneside Council's planning department has rejected plans for a large house in multiple occupation (HMO) on Dean Terrace in South Shields, due to concerns over parking and highway safety.

The application, submitted by Scott-James Properties Ltd, proposed converting the currently vacant five-bedroom property into a 10-bedroom HMO, complete with communal kitchen, external yard, and bin and cycle storage. Despite assurances that all rooms would have access to shared facilities and that a car-free development was appropriate for the location, council chiefs remained unconvinced.

The plans were met with strong opposition during a public consultation, with 13 letters of objection and two petitions against the proposal, one carrying 66 signatures and the other 29. The objections varied from "limited parking" and a rise in anti-social behaviour, to worries about future occupants, impacts on property values, and increased noise and disturbance.

The applicant provided details to the council about planned lettings and management processes, including inspections, cleaning of communal areas, and all potential tenants being "fully referenced". However, after reviewing the planning application and evaluating it against planning policies, South Tyneside Council’s planning department rejected it on October 31, 2024.

In their decision report, council planners stated that the plans would "result in the intensification of use of the property to the detriment of the amenity and highway safety of the proposed and neighbouring occupiers". They noted that the property in question was situated in an area "comprised of predominantly single family dwellings" and at the end of a cul-de-sac with "no off-street car parking" proposed.

Given this context, they concluded that the "intensity of residential use proposed at the property would be harmful to the residential amenity of neighbouring occupiers and highway safety given the level of increased comings and goings and vehicle parking and manoeuvring from residents, visitors and deliveries associated with use of the property".

Residents, visitors and deliveries associated with the property could cause "disputes, nuisance and potentially highway safety concerns if indiscriminately parked vehicles get dispersed further from the development site", it was argued. Council planners also expressed concern that the "intensity of the residential use proposed would give rise to a poor-quality residential environment for future occupiers of the application property".

This included "poor natural light and outlook for bedsit 4 in the basement and bedsit 6 in the loft space and lack of privacy and noise pollution in respect of bedroom 1 on the ground floor given its close proximity to the shared kitchen and outlook over the rear curtilage amenity space area."

The applicants had previously argued that a HMO at Dean Terrace would "not result in an over-concentration of HMOs in the surrounding area". They added that the HMO plan would be a "positive addition to the area, providing living space for those in need of lower-cost accommodation."

The applicant has the right to challenge the council refusal decision by lodging an appeal with the Secretary of State.

For more information on the planning application or council decision, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference: ST/0385/24/FUL.

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