"Our historic street has been taken over by HMOs - it's like a student ghetto"
SWNS
2024-07-03
Views 3.4K
Fed-up locals say their close-knit neighbourhood has turned into a “student ghetto” with greedy landlords turning family homes into HMOs.
Residents on Nelson Street, Worcester, say the increased number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) has led to rowdy parties and caused parking chaos.
It is estimated there are around 14 HMOs on the 68-property street, the equivalent of one for every four or five houses.
Locals are protesting after plans were submitted to convert another house - a three-storey detached property - into a sprawling five-bedroom HMO.
The landlord claims the property would be used to house restaurant staff but residents say it is more likely to be students who live there in the future.
Nelson Road is just a mile from the main campus of the University of Worcester meaning most of the HMOs are occupied by undergraduates.
Fuming residents say the burgeoning student numbers on their street has turned it into a “ghetto”.
Local David Lemon said: “If given permission, what happens if the restaurant closes in six months?
“It will then be rented to students, or other occupants who doubtless may well arrive with cars.
“One the property is lost to an HMO it will not return. I believe there are currently 14 HMOs in Nelson Road alone.”
Long-term resident Susan Francis said: “I have lived in Nelson Road for 35 years.
“In this time it has changed from a lovely family friendly street to a road where virtually every other house is a HMO.
“It seems utterly ridiculous to me that the landlord (of the proposed HMO) should even apply for planning permission when one of the criteria is there should be adequate off road parking when there isn’t any parking at all.”
Jayne Lewis said: “There parking around here is a nightmare as it is and where are these residents and possibly another five cars going to park?
“St John’s is becoming like a student ghetto.”
Charity Byrne demanded urgent action is taken to restrict the number of HMOs in the area.
She said: “There needs to be a halt of HMOs in St John’s. The university expansion has clearly not been well thought out.
“St John’s can’t be made into a student village of sorts.
“The HMOs already in existence are so poorly controlled – bins, dirt, noise, rowdy behaviour. They are an eyesore.”
Linda Wilkes, 69, and her husband William, 77, have been in the street for three decades and now live next door to a HMO.
Linda said: “We didn’t notice it at first but more and more houses on the street were bought by landlords and rented out.
“It’s gradually got worse since they’ve been expanding the university. Everywhere you look there are university buildings.
“The students aren’t all bad and they’ve got to live somewhere.
“My problem is on a street like Nelson Road, it’s a small street, why do we need so many HMOs here?
“Without a shadow of a doubt it’s greedy landlords, and it’s landlords outside of
Worcester buying up properties for students.
“It was a lovely little street, it still is
Residents on Nelson Street, Worcester, say the increased number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) has led to rowdy parties and caused parking chaos.
It is estimated there are around 14 HMOs on the 68-property street, the equivalent of one for every four or five houses.
Locals are protesting after plans were submitted to convert another house - a three-storey detached property - into a sprawling five-bedroom HMO.
The landlord claims the property would be used to house restaurant staff but residents say it is more likely to be students who live there in the future.
Nelson Road is just a mile from the main campus of the University of Worcester meaning most of the HMOs are occupied by undergraduates.
Fuming residents say the burgeoning student numbers on their street has turned it into a “ghetto”.
Local David Lemon said: “If given permission, what happens if the restaurant closes in six months?
“It will then be rented to students, or other occupants who doubtless may well arrive with cars.
“One the property is lost to an HMO it will not return. I believe there are currently 14 HMOs in Nelson Road alone.”
Long-term resident Susan Francis said: “I have lived in Nelson Road for 35 years.
“In this time it has changed from a lovely family friendly street to a road where virtually every other house is a HMO.
“It seems utterly ridiculous to me that the landlord (of the proposed HMO) should even apply for planning permission when one of the criteria is there should be adequate off road parking when there isn’t any parking at all.”
Jayne Lewis said: “There parking around here is a nightmare as it is and where are these residents and possibly another five cars going to park?
“St John’s is becoming like a student ghetto.”
Charity Byrne demanded urgent action is taken to restrict the number of HMOs in the area.
She said: “There needs to be a halt of HMOs in St John’s. The university expansion has clearly not been well thought out.
“St John’s can’t be made into a student village of sorts.
“The HMOs already in existence are so poorly controlled – bins, dirt, noise, rowdy behaviour. They are an eyesore.”
Linda Wilkes, 69, and her husband William, 77, have been in the street for three decades and now live next door to a HMO.
Linda said: “We didn’t notice it at first but more and more houses on the street were bought by landlords and rented out.
“It’s gradually got worse since they’ve been expanding the university. Everywhere you look there are university buildings.
“The students aren’t all bad and they’ve got to live somewhere.
“My problem is on a street like Nelson Road, it’s a small street, why do we need so many HMOs here?
“Without a shadow of a doubt it’s greedy landlords, and it’s landlords outside of
Worcester buying up properties for students.
“It was a lovely little street, it still is
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