Disappointed neighbours in a city suburb feel they have lost their community because of newly-converted properties in the area. People living in Beeston have hit back over the number of properties recently turned into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
Rubbish and lack of parking are among the main problems faced by the neighbours living in a cul-de-sac on Fletcher Road. People who have lived in the area for decades said they miss the long-lost family homes that were replaced by HMOs.
Semi retired Peter Parkes, who works as a funeral director, lives next to a recently-converted property. The 70-year-old, who has been a resident on Fletcher road for 35 years, said: "It has been a HMO for about a year and the students who live there are perfectly ok, but there’s no community here anymore. They just don’t look after the houses properly, we understand that they are students so we do not really expect it but it would be nice.
READ MORE: Dad who slept in shed gains new start in St Ann's flat after a life of booze and prison
“It is virtually all student housing or HMOs around here. There’s more students than privately owned properties in Beeston now and that’s really sad."
He went on and said: "They all used to be lovely family houses but they’re not anymore. The other issue is parking. They say students don’t have cars, but they do and they have to park them somewhere.
Mr Parkes has lived in Nottingham for 50 years. He added: “It would be nice to have families moving back into Beeston. It used to be a real community in this cul-de-sac everyone knew everyone and we all looked out for each other but that’s lost now.
“The students are okay. There is nothing wrong with them, we just have to guide them in the right direction in terms of looking after their bins."
“It’s a shame you have to look at dirty windows and stuff like that. A part of me wants to go in and clean them myself."
Retired John Oldham, 78, who has lived in the area for 50 years, added: "One of the main problems is they block my drive with their cars and it’s sometimes really hard to find who it is to get them to move."
He pointed at the only property that was not an HMO on one side of the street and said: "They all used to be families and I used to know all of them."
One of the properties looks over his property, Mr Oldham added. He said: "I don’t get any privacy anymore and with another one being converted as well I would have people watching me from all over.
“I have only got one neighbour now and she’s thinking of leaving because of the HMOs. I have got nothing against students and I have never had any trouble in relation to noise or anything - but it’s just not a community anymore.
“You work all your life, earn some money and spend it on somewhere nice to live and then you’ve got no community."
A spokesperson for the Broxtowe Borough Council said they are aware of the issues raised but cannot comment on the specific details whilst an investigation is taking place.
