00:00The standard of it is very poor and it's just a quick slap and dash kind of thing to get
00:07in and
00:07get out. Neil and Stella Brown have had enough. Under current planning rules here in Maidstone,
00:13if a house of multiple occupancy has six bedrooms or less, it doesn't require permission from the
00:20council. But with two popping up in the same area from just one developer, residents have been left
00:27blindsided by disruptive building work. It was absolutely, you know, you couldn't think for,
00:32well, eight till six. You could not pass that because I was working late most nights as well
00:37on weekends. So I didn't care. Didn't care and the noise is unbearable. While these HMOs are not
00:44illegal, the couple aren't taking them lying down. About 85 to 90 already and I've still got the
00:51rest of half of the estate to do. Having launched a petition to push back. I think it's going to
00:58put
00:58pressure on the drainage system, the sewage system. You know, we've already got parking issues here as
01:05well. For some, the building work has been worse than others. Round the corner on West Walk, CCTV
01:12caught a lorry destroying one pensioner's driveway with builders replacing only six slabs without her
01:21permission. She worries it's now a trip hazard. Because I've got an autistic great-grandson and
01:27he doesn't understand he's not to walk on there or there. There you go. So you parked on the
01:34race curb there. This is, that's clear. You can't block a pavement. Kent County Councillor Oliver Bradshaw
01:41has been left at a loss over these HMOs. Planning and housing are borough issues. All he can do is
01:49report highway blockages. I cannot believe it is correct that local residents are just told,
01:56by the way, you have an HMO going up next to you with zero communication. The council can restrict
02:03HMOs in high impact areas through what is known as an Article 4 directive. It's something the local
02:10authority is already considering. But it does require a lot of evidence that there is harm. So we have
02:19spent the last 12 months collecting and examining those evidence. And I'm hoping to see some reports
02:25come forward through the coming months. Building control company Dunwood Building Legislation
02:32and building owner SR Invest Limited have been approached for comment. But without further
02:38restrictions in place, a building site like this one could soon be coming to a street near you.
02:45Ollie Leader in Maidstone.
Comments