Sheerness residents left in 'horrendous' conditions after neighbouring properties converted into HMOs

KentOnline / KMTV

Families in Sheerness have been living in what they call 'hellish' conditions after neighbouring properties in Alma Street were converted into HMOs without warning.  While council officials say the conversions were approved under pre-existing planning rues, residents argue those rules fail to protect local communities.  Joe Crossley reports.

Transcript

00:00This is the noise that fed up families living in Sheerness have had to put up with for more

00:12than two months. Neighbours have been telling us that it has

00:15been hell living next to 20 Alma Street, a Victorian terrace house being converted into

00:20a six bed house of multiple occupancy. Normally planning permission is not needed to turn

00:25a building into a HMO for less than six people. But as the house is in the Marine Town Conservation

00:31area, the landlord should have got approval from Swale Council before starting the work

00:36on September 8th. Since then, residents say they have been having sleepless nights

00:42because of the construction work which includes a roof extension. Grandmother of one,

00:47Anne Tiller, lives next door and says it has been hell.

00:51The last two months in my little house has been hell. I've had holes in my wall,

00:57holes in my bedroom, water down my front porch by my electricity cupboard and the noise has been

01:04horrendous. The past eight weeks, near enough all the work has been completed and today we all had

01:12an email saying plan permission has been put in. Now to me that that don't sound right,

01:19they don't sound right. We've been put through hell, ringing, sending emails, messages and we've

01:26just got that confirmation now. Swell Council says it has received complaints about the possible breach

01:32of planning at 20 Alma Street and informed the owner that their plans for the home did not fall under the

01:40permitted development. The landlord has submitted a retrospective planning application on October 24th,

01:47which will be considered by the authority. When I visited the property on Monday November 1st,

01:54I knocked on the door twice in an attempt to contact the landlord. We got no answer and left a note for

02:00the owner. Joe Crossley for KMTV and Sheerness.

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