A planning application has been submitted for an extension to the back of a property on Mansfield’s notorious “HMO Street.”
Princes Street, near the town centre, gained its unsavoury nickname after Mansfield MP Steve Yemm picked it out as one of the worst places for HMOs, in terms of density, in the district.
Steve Yemm and resident Marius Oprea after talking about HMOs on Princes Street. Photo: Submitted
But the latest application – for house number 102, last listed on Rightmove as a semi-detached, three-bedroom property – is not for an HMO, according to property businessman Justin Ingrey, who has submitted it.
Mr Ingrey’s website describes how he went from working as an electrician to building a £10m property portfolio.
He now mentors clients on building their own HMO portfolios through his “HMO Club” and “HMO Navigator” programmes.
But he says that 102 Princes Street will not be an HMO, while not specifying what type of property it will be.
His application, which was submitted to Mansfield District Council on October 26, is simply to notify the council of his intention to extend the property, rather than to apply for permission.
Documents show that the plans for 102 Princes Street are for a ground-floor extension to the rear of the property by around 4.5m, and an extension to the side by a similar length, but extending less than half the original width of the property.
Both extensions are to the ground floor only, according to the plans drawn up by architect Nick Beecham, but because no permission is required, that is the extent of the information provided to the council.
Princes Street currently only has three properties with an HMO licence and has only had two planning applications submitted to the council to turn properties into HMOs in the past two years.
But anecdotes from residents who live there suggest that a high proportion of the terraced townhouses on the road have been turned – or are being turned – into HMOs.
Under current planning laws, permission from the council is only required if a family home is converted into an HMO to house more than six people.
It also needs a licence if it will house five or more people, but 102 Princes Street has neither.
Mansfield District Council is currently looking into whether there is sufficient evidence to bring in a rule, known as an Article 4 direction, to override national legislation and require permission for any HMO, regardless of size.
Campaigners such as Mansfield MP Steve Yemm feel it’s necessary to allow the council to stop HMOs from popping up in areas where there is already a saturation of them.
He argues that a high proportion of HMOs leads to streets losing their character, reduced “community cohesion”, and a feeling among residents that they have “lost their say” over what happens where they live.
The popularity of HMOs amongst property investors has boomed in recent years, driven by high demand from young students and professionals for rooms.
They are lucrative for landlords because they can charge higher rents per bedroom to individual tenants, rather than taking a single rent payment for the entire house.
Continue Reading
