Two new HMOs in North Belfast have been refused despite legal warnings from the Belfast Council planning department to elected representatives.
The second was an application for the change of use from a dwelling to six bed HMO at 27 Ponsonby Avenue by Louise Johnson. At the Planning Committee meeting, a council officer recommended the application for approval. She stated: “The house is outside a housing management area where policy applies. There are no existing HMOs on the street, which means 8 HMOs can be accommodated within the 10 percent policy threshold.
He said: “I am also of the belief that HMO properties can help alleviate the pressures on local housing. This property will house six individuals. Without the provision of HMO accommodation those individuals would occupy six separate units, causing much greater strain on the local housing market.” He said: “Any one of us who went to the site visit will know the issues regarding refuse and waste collection. People’s bins were out the front due to the problem with the entryway behind the houses. To add more strain on capacity would be unwise, and contrary to what we are trying to achieve through planning.
He added: “So that will present some difficulty in terms of defending that appeal. In relation to traffic, I am very mindful of general concerns on parking pressures, but again the difficulty is that there are no objections from DFI Roads.” Objectors again raised issues of parking, traffic, and road safety, waste and refuse collection, anti-social behaviour and noise and some said it would have a negative impact on the character of the area. A local resident and objector gave a deputation to the committee.