Bid to convert another Hartlepool house into a HMO gets boost

Proposals were submitted last year to Hartlepool Borough Council planning department to convert 78 Grange Road into a large HMO to accommodate eight people.

HMOs refer to properties such as a house split into separate bedsits, a shared house/flat or a hostel.

Submitted by Carwood House, proposals outline how the terraced site currently has six bedrooms in addition to a lounge, dining room and sitting room.

However, the applicant is looking to convert the building to provide eight bedrooms, each with an en-suite, along with a new communal kitchen.

The application is to go before the council’s planning committee on Wednesday, March 13, with a report from officers ahead of the meeting recommending the proposals are approved.

It said: “It is considered there would not be a significant negative impact on neighbour amenity, parking, highway safety, crime and anti-social behaviour or the character and appearance of the conservation area.”

It adds the development would provide a “similar residential use” which is considered “acceptable” in the area.

Three objections have been raised.

Concerns include there already being other HMOs nearby, the development exacerbating anti-social behaviour issues in the area and it causing increased parking pressures.

A planning statement supporting the proposals said the property owners “have already appointed a reputable local management agent to oversee the day-to-day management of the HMO.”

It added there is “no reason” why HMOs should generate “any greater issues than a family dwelling provided they are managed appropriately”.