Objections lodged over latest HMO expansion plans

West Northamptonshire Council approved plans to increase the building's occupancy to 12 people in December

Plans have been lodged to expand a three-storey house in multiple occupation (HMO) to 14 rooms, despite claims the area is already "drowning in rubbish" from other shared homes.

The application to boost the number of rooms at the house in Abington, Northampton, has been submitted only a few months after the local authority approved plans to increase the occupancy to 12 people.

Neighbours have objected to the latest proposal, citing concerns about waste disposal and parking.

The Abington Grove building, which is on the corner of Holly Road , was originally granted HMO status for nine bedrooms in 2017 by Northampton Borough Council.

Under the plans, there would be a communal living and kitchen area in the basement while the rest of the house would be made up of studio rooms and regular bedrooms.

The six studio rooms would each have their own private kitchen areas, and all 14 bedrooms would have their own bathrooms.

The two additional rooms would include a studio room in the loft space and a bedrom on the first floor in place of a second kitchen.

'A dirty town'

But one of the objectors to the application said Abington was already "drowning in rubbish" and was starting to resemble Birmingham, where a major incident has been declared because of an ongoing bin strike.

They wrote: "This has happened as the population has become more transient, so a 14-bed HMO with14 households' rubbish being dumped on Holly Road outside one bay window is only adding to what a dirty town we have become."

Another objector called the application "ridiculous" and questioned where extra cars would go as there was no proposed additional parking capacity, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They added: "Why should local residents put up with this additional nuisance when there are so many HMOs already within yards of this property?"

Comments on the plans can be made until 7 April. A decision is expected to be made on 10 April.