Residents in Newport have reacted angrily after plans for another house of multiple occupation (HMO) were given the go-ahead. Proposals to turn 17 Caerau Road near Newport city centre were given the green light by Newport City Council last week despite a number of concerns from nearby locals about the impact on the area.
A number of residents objected to the application saying there was a "very serious problem with parking" and issues with rats, claiming a HMO was "only going to exacerbate the problems" in the area. Objectors included councillor Miqdad Al-Nuaimi who said HMOs "do not help or promote community cohesion, especially when they are over-concentrated in residential streets close to the city centre".
There have been a number of HMO applications in Newport city centre in the past few months. In August a six-bed HMO in Faulkner Road was given the go-ahead despite pleas from residents over a saturation of HMOs and parking issues in the area. In the past year controversial plans to turn a house in Ombersley Road into a seven-bedroom HMO, a six-bed house in St Julians, and a five-bedroom HMO in Morden Road have all been given the green light by planners.
Read more: The city street which residents say is being wrecked by HMOs
The latest Caerau Road application, first submitted in January of this year, would require eight parking spaces and drew objections over the pressure on parking and waste issues. One neighbour said the area was "ill-equipped for the number of inhabitants in a small area" and added: "All the HMOs in the area have contributed to serious problems, not only in Caerau Road, but the surrounding areas as we have." They claimed the road now had a dentist, GP's surgery, crown court, civic centre, Tesco and a chemist within 100 metres, most of which they said had no off-road parking. They also said there was a "serious issue with waste disposal".
They added: "Outside a number of HMOs there have been black bags left for weeks smelling and rotting [and] the rats and foxes rip the bags apart, spilling the contents onto the pavements. We have had to call the council on numerous occasions. The gardens are overgrown and have rats. The sewerage systems are Victorian and there have been issues in the past. With HMOs this is only going to exacerbate the problems."
The resident added: "It's completely untenable for some occupiers to continue to live in the road... because of your decisions to put unscrupulous developers before families that love their homes that you are turning into slums.
Cllr Miqdad Al-Nuaimi objected, saying: "Caerau Road is a residential street whose residents have seen their amenities eroded over the years by the heavy traffic and the high demand on parking places." Saying the plan would cause recycling and waste issues, he cited the number of HMOs in Caerau Road, Caerau Crescent, and Clyffard Crescent and added: "I would urge that community cohesion is both respected and promoted by the planning authority. HMOs do not help or promote community cohesion, especially when they are over-concentrated in residential streets close to the city centre."
However council planners said the parking needs "would not substantially impact upon car parking pressure at the site or the immediate surrounds" despite the fact it would take the number of HMOs above 15% within 50m of the property. It said an inspector had found the proposal showed "little physical evidence of the problems usually associated with high concentrations of HMOs, such as inadequate refuse storage arrangements or poorly maintained frontages". The plans were therefore granted with conditions.
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