AIBU to object to a large co-living dwvelopment near my home?

[Mathsdebator]

I live in the North East. The local paper published an article yesterday about someone applying to turn a shop near me into a "large co-living development' with 18 rooms and communal area. Aimed at young professionals apparently and they're denying it's a HMO.

It's obviously a HMO

There's no parking. The space is small. It's 3 minutes walk from a primary school. I've looked up the developers - they're based in London.

Would you object?

If I genuinely thought it would be full of young professionals I'd be thrilled for them. I'm just really scared that the environment nearby will ge replicated on a bigger scale

I don't drive, work late 1 night a week and would be coming home alone in the dark walking past the building. It might be selfish but I've driven up the street nearby in a taxi and it's pretty scary. Groups of blokes outside drinking and smoking

I think you’re getting a bit of a hard time here OP. We had an HMO planning permission app for a large development. None of the rooms were legally correct, it got denied planning. The developers went ahead anyway and it’s now housing people, they’re not young professionals and the council is trying to retrospectively get it shut down. It’s dangerous, you can see people smoking inside and it looks like an accident waiting to happen. I think some people commenting here haven’t experienced the reality of what some HMO developments have turned out to be. If you’re concerned you should delve into it as we’ve watched the council here really struggle to manage this retrospectively - it’s been a year and still here.

What is this rubbish?
People aren't reading it we are finding problems in our own local areas when houses get bought and turned into HMO's. I wouldn't know what the media are saying. I haven't seen any coverage about it. It's a big problem round here. It's based on personal experience that it's a problem it's not something we read about in the paper

Some time back I got a letter which showed that the owner of a property opposite wanted to turn it into an HMO. I contacted several households nearby and we co-ordinated our efforts to object. We used parking and access grounds - the access to the house was already a "turning circle". There had been previous issues with noise at the house and an HMO was out of character with the area, The other objecting families were of an ethnic group who did not want young single males hanging around their daughters. Planning was refused. The owner tried again a year later but was again refused. Eventually the property was sold to a multi-generational family who used the extra accommodation for elderly parents..

I'm in the NE found this easily from your wording. It's near a football stadium. Not exactly a quiet residential area.

Well done you - Champion Googler Award issued!

It is near the footy. The area, and residents, are quiet bar a couple of hours a fortnight when there's a match!

I found it too. It sounds quite nice, with a garden pavilion and communal
spaces and balconies etc. But I guess I also know how estate agents and developers can exaggerate!

OP I would not want a group of rough people moving in. But I just don’t think you can object because you are worried about the ‘type’ of people coming in. Do you have any idea of the kind of rent/sale prices?

I always object on the planning portal at the local council.

Anyone is able to object regardless of where you live.

I never object directly to the developer. I always see developers try and encourage this on local Facebook pages with a “have your say” page of their own but this means the people making the decision in the planning office will not see objections.

I think the problem with HMOs in an area with cheap housing is that they do not attract young professionals, because young professionals can rent a 2-bed flat or get a mortgage for £700 a month. Therefore the HMOs are half empty, don't make the investors much money so become poorly maintained, and then attract problematic tenants and eventually, contracts with local councils to house homeless (with complex needs) or drug-addicted people who local services then wash their hands of as they're now safely housed.

Despite all the pearl clutching on MN, the reality is that very few people would be happy about a HMO being built next door to them. Regardless of who the occupants will be, 18 people in one house inevitably leads to a lot of people coming and going, noise and also possibly parties and anti social behaviour.

It might be totally fine and might be filled with 18 very quiet ‘young professionals’ but it might also not be. As a PP has pointed out, in an area where accommodation is quite cheap (unlike the equivalent in London), the chances are that it could easily become a hostel or halfway house which do tend to attract bigger social issues. If you’re ok with that, great! A lot of people wouldn’t be though. It’s not mean or cruel to have concerns.

Ive found the newspaper article about it. Of course the developers talk about it all very fancy. I dont know the area so not sure if some of their claims are right that this would retain and attract graduate talent to the area or whehter its well served by public transport.

They're going to extend the central section of the property

Its a shame they cant just do up the property as it is, and use the retail space on the bottom for residential and just have a lower key, smaller number of rooms, the property seems in keeping with the rest of the street at the moment.

its the people in the street behind, Netherburn Rd who are going to be most impacted by quite a big structure going up at the end of their back gardens.

People are way more sensible on a Sunday morning! 😍

There's a tiny chippy right by it that's been there for decades. They must be very worried.

None of those saying people have to live somewhere have said "I'd love an 18 bed hmo at the end of my street'

Have they bought the chip shop as well, as I would imagine thats a hard sell, to try to rent places out next to a chip shop as the sort of fancy space they say they are proposing.

I don't think so. It's been there for forever. It's the only one in the immediate area. I'll do some digging on that.

Loads of young professionals don’t know people locallly to go into a house share with, can’t afford something better, don’t want to be tied into a shared lease with people. I think your suggestion it will be full of drugs and crime and pose a risk to local school
children is quite a leap.

Is it though? I could literally walk to a street where this exact thing happened in 10 minutes

lots of young people don't drive, and don't particularly want to. cities thrive when fewer people use cars to get around them, so surely a car-free development is a positive thing? less pollution, less noise, more space for people, fewer road traffic incidents...

many single people actually choose to live in shared housing of some kind, beause it means being part of a community, albeit one where you have your own private space (and, in this case, ensuites,so not sharing toilets/showers with others like in a house-share), with access to shared resources (which is better for the planet - we don't all need to have our own washing mahine, for example!)

they're not going to be eligible for housing in any of the existing social housing stock if it's all designed for families with children. (at least this also means they won't be taking up lots of valuable spaces at the local primary school you mention!)

you make a lot of assumptions about who might live here and all the problems you think this might cause, but at the end of the day, you have somewhere to live. and there are other people who don't. why shouldn't they live near you?!

@Longtimelurkerfinallyposts would you genuinely not be worried if a building housing 18 people was popping up at the end of your street? When similar, smaller ones nearby have been a hot-spot of real trouble?

You’re right I would be worried if an 18 bed rough bed sit was opening on my street. A proper co living space wouldn’t bother me.

id certainly be talking to the council and seeing what sort of reassurance you can get. But yes I suspect probably none. Even if they say they’re going to market it at 1k a month nothing to stop them down the line saying they’re had to halve the price due to lack of interest

Thousands of young people do this in London and no doubt other big cities too!

You seem to be assuming the worst for no particular reason. I live in a similar place. It’s lovely - clean and quiet. Most of the people who live here are nurses but we have many other young professionals- a teacher, a vet, a flight attendant. Some of us are on benefits (me included, I’m too ill to work). We also have quite a few older people, most of whom moved here after divorce. The landlord is very choosy about who moves here. Nobody is violent, loud or on drugs or criminal in any way.

Can’t stand NIMBYs

This type of place would be lovely. I just don't think it will be (based on what's gone on locally)

Rent is cheap up here. You can rent a house for less than 200 quid a week!

Yes just looking at properties in Sunderland in general, obviously I dont know the area but first time buyers on NMW can easily afford a property.