Landlords looking to cash in on the housing crisis and temporary accommodation gold rush are rushing to convert any building possible to HMOs regardless of the impact on local communities and very often with no thought to the building they are converting.
They remove family homes and community facilities from the market and rather than being a solution to the housing crisis they are contributing to it.
Other areas are rejecting applications, especially for family home conversions, and even for commercial buildings like pubs and Oldham needs to follow.
Government need to give greater powers to reject applications for HMOs and protect councils against the cost of appeals but there are already grounds which can be used to reject planning applications on legitimate grounds.
There will be good examples of conversions, but the standard in Oldham simply sees stable family homes once well kept turned into transient come and go communities where the properties lay poorly converted and ill maintained. They see valued community facilities lost and they fundamentally change the character of areas against the wishes of local people.
Oldham should say clearly to all would-be developers and landlords that enough is enough.
Article link: https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/26211559.residents-oppose-hmo-plans-chadderton-chip-shop/
Jim McMahon OBE MP 