HMO in Mablethorpe for asylum-seekers is refused planning permission by council
An application for a house in multiple occupation for asylum seekers has been rejected by the council.
The controversial scheme was to convert a semi-detached property at 16, Waterloo Road into the HMO, where people fleeing other countries would live while their asylum claims were processed by the Home Office.
It attracted opposition from neighbouring residents, who compiled a 192-signature petition, and also from Mablethorpe and Sutton Town Council. The petition stated the HMO “would not serve the best interests of the community” and that local people should be given priority for available and affordable housing.
Now East Lindsey District Council, which received the change-of-use application, has issued a formal refusal of planning permission. Officers used delegated powers, and the proposal was not put before the council’s planning committee.
The decision was welcomed by Coun Claire Arnold, who is a member of the district council and current Mayor of Mablethorpe. Coun Arnold said: “I am pleased that the district council has taken the right steps with regard to this property. There was a lot of community concern, so it is good that the council has taken account of this in the planning process.”
The company behind the plan was Weadon AUC Ltd, based in Calne, Wiltshire and is involved in the letting or operating of real estate. It is understood the HMO would have been managed by Serco, which holds Home Office contracts to provide housing and support services for asylum seekers.
Weadon or Serco could appeal against the council’s decision. But Coun Arnold felt this was unlikely and probably wouldn’t succeed because of the solid planning grounds given for refusal, which were the fact that the three-storey HMO would be a flood risk and would cause too much “noise and disturbance” for neighbours.
A statement from the council said: “The proposed HMO would be situated in a flood zone.
"The East Lindsey Local Plan states that housing will not be permitted with ground-floor sleeping accommodation.
“This proposed layout would create two ground-floor bedrooms, and the flood mitigation (submitted by the applicants) fails to meet the advice of the Environment Agency (EA).”
The statement went on: "Also, the HMO would cause a significant increase in comings and goings from the site and an unacceptable level of noise and disturbance for neighbouring residents.
"It would result in 18, Waterloo Road, a family dwelling, being sandwiched by an eight-bed HMO on one side and seven flats on the other. This would cause material harm to the living conditions of the occupiers.”
Agents for the applicants, Sleaford-based Chris Lilley Architectural Services, insisted “there would be no detrimental harm created by this proposal” and felt it “could be sufficiently justified”.
It also argued that there were already two other HMOs on Waterloo Road, although the council pointed out these were smaller in terms of occupancy.
As well as the petition, the district council received 22 emails from residents. Their objections ranged from unsuitable location, pressure on the area’s infrastructure and resources, and the “impact on community cohesion”.