AI can be very handy

[klondike]

The house next to me was sold when my neighbour of many years died. There was a planning application came through to turn it into two flats. I didn't object to that. Now one has come through to make it a 5 person HMO. I had ChatGPT write an objection for me. I'ts posher than I could have done it....

Objection to Planning Application for Conversion to 5-Person HMO
I wish to object to the proposed conversion of the neighbouring property into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) for up to five occupants.

There is already a high density of HMOs within this area. The cumulative impact of these conversions has been clear for some time — several nearby properties that have become HMOs are visibly neglected, with overgrown or untidy front gardens, overflowing refuse bins left permanently at the front, and general deterioration in the appearance and upkeep of the area. Allowing yet another HMO would add to this pattern and further undermine the character and appearance of what was originally a residential row of single-family homes.

I am also concerned about over-intensification of use. The property is of identical layout and size to my own, and I therefore have a clear understanding of the room dimensions. The smallest bedroom is extremely small and, in my opinion, unsuitable for occupation as a full-time bedroom. It is doubtful whether it meets the minimum space standards required for an HMO licence. Attempting to accommodate five adults in a house of this size would result in cramped living conditions and inadequate communal space.

In addition, an HMO of this scale is likely to lead to:

• increased pressure on limited on-street parking;
• higher levels of noise and general disturbance due to more frequent turnover of tenants;
• greater demand on refuse collection services, increasing the likelihood of unsightly waste accumulation.

The Council's planning and housing policies seek to maintain balanced and sustainable communities. The proliferation of HMOs in this immediate area has already altered that balance. The conversion of yet another small family dwelling into a multi-occupancy property would further erode the mix of permanent residents and increase transient occupancy levels.
Furthermore, the ongoing loss of small family homes to HMO use reduces the availability of suitable accommodation for families and long-term residents, contrary to the Council's objective of maintaining a balanced housing mix and protecting the supply of affordable housing for permanent occupation.
Noise and disturbance from multiple unrelated occupants using the property independently — particularly late-night arrivals, use of shared outdoor areas, and frequent deliveries — would also cause harm to the amenity of adjoining residents.

If, despite local concerns, the Council were minded to approve the application, I would strongly request that strict conditions be imposed to ensure proper management of waste storage, maintenance of external areas, and control of tenant behaviour, so as to prevent further decline in the appearance and amenity of the street.

For these reasons, I respectfully request that the application be refused. Should the Council be minded to approve it, I would ask that it first undertake a detailed assessment of:

• compliance with national and local minimum space and amenity standards;
• the cumulative concentration of HMOs within the local area;
• the potential impact on residential character, visual amenity, and parking availability.

In my view, this proposal represents an over-intensive use of a small property in an area already under strain from excessive HMO development, and it would be contrary to the objectives of maintaining a well-balanced and pleasant residential environment.

As the adjoining property owner, I am directly affected by this proposal and ask that my concerns be given full consideration.

[JBR]

Very impressive and, well, I hope it works.

We wouldn't need HMOs, or four-star hotels for that matter, if we got shut of our illegal invaders.

Of course, the only real solution is for the majority of people living in the area to vote Reform on to the council as soon as possible.  A Reform council would not allow things like this to happen.

The future of the local areas where we live, and the country as a whole, depends on us - the voters.

[klondike]

We already have a Reform council...

This is just planning. There are rules. If it doesn't break any then the chances are it will be granted.

[Michael Rolls]

Can't be good

[Dextrous63]

You do realise that the reply will also be written largely by AI. 

[klondike]

You don't get replies sfaik.

What it will come down to is density. They allow a maximum of 10% of the property count within 50m to be HMO. The 50m is from the curtilage of the proposed HMO's plot and I think the counts are all properties where their own curtilage intersect with that. I'll have a look at a map but I'm not sure of all properies that are HMOs. It's easy to spot the ones with gardens of course - they have overflowing litter bins and an abundance of wild flowers (aka weeds).

These houses are popular as HMOs because they are big and not too expensive - the values having been reduced by being old and expensive to heat along with so many becoming HMOs.

[Ashy]

You could get perfectly respectable people living in bedsits as we used to call them, I lived in one myself.

But you could get Serco's international guests who could be noisy and dangerous, so I wish you the best of luck with your objection.

I found out that a petition with 100 signatures on it counts as one objection if the council are so minded, individual complaints and letters are better.

At the very least you're going to get the noise from the conversion work and hope they don't muck the drains up.

[klondike]

I've crunched the numbers and depending on their precise way of measuring the 50m it could go either way on density. One bit of good news is that it seems the council are apparently looking at reducing the density from 10% to 5% so they recognise the sort of problem too many HMOs cause.

There is one two doors away. The first set of tenants caused my neighbours hell with noisy music, late parties and fire doors banging away all the time. They were Uni students from Africa and there was another house full of them across the road. I complained to my councillor about the overflowing bins outside that one a couple of times. There are new tenants in the one a couple of doors away now who are no problem and the one over the road is empty which could be an issue if they don't count it but it is still on the council HMO list.

The other alternative is two flats which would likely mean two cars and although with the currently empty houses there is no parking problems and extra couple of cars could change that.