Shaw protests against HMOs as 22-bed proposal refused

By Charlotte Hall, Local Democracy Reporting Service

PEOPLE in Shaw have made their feelings against a ‘flood of HMOs’ as plans for one of the largest were refused.

An application to convert the former Crompton Health Centre, on High Street, into a house in multiple occupation for up to 22 people sparked outrage.

Safina Ghaus and Mehtab Shaukat’s proposal attracted 195 objections before Oldham Council said no.

In its decision, the authority simply said: “The development would fail to provide an acceptable standard of residential amenity for future occupants.

“Some of the accommodation would be served by substandard external windows, resulting in inadequate levels of natural light, ventilation, and outlook.

“In addition, the proposed communal kitchen and dining facilities are insufficient and do not comply with Oldham Council’s Houses in Multiple Occupation Standards.

“These deficiencies would lead to substandard living conditions for future residents and fail to provide a healthy and functional living environment.

“The proposed development would not improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area and therefore does not comprise sustainable development.

“There were no solutions to the scheme, or conditions which could reasonably have been imposed to make the development acceptable.”

However, local activists say the application ‘stirred up a lot of frustration’ in the town, which has seen a steady loss of local amenities and businesses in the last years, while the number of HMOs has risen.

And dozens of locals took to the streets, peacefully protesting outside Shaw’s War Memorial and Lifelong Learning Centre on Sunday, April 6.

Campaigner Beverley McManus told the LDRS ahead of the protest: “HMOs are flooding into our town and we’re not getting any investment. We can already see how the town has deteriorated.

“The townsfolk have had enough. We want regeneration.”

For Beverley, the major issue is infrastructure, with a worry that roads, local GPs and dentists will be overwhelmed. But locals say they also fear ‘an increase in anti-social behaviour’.

Cars honked their horns as they passed more than 50 neighbours holding up signs that read ‘We don’t want your HMO’ in the weekend sunshine.

A petition, signed by more than 1,300 people online, was also circulated in paper form.

One signatory said they ‘understood HMO users need a place to live’ but felt that Shaw was receiving ‘the lion’s share’ of applications.

Oldham councillors have called on the government to tighten restrictions, requiring all HMOs to apply for permission.

Cllr Elaine Taylor, the portfolio holder for housing, and Cllr Peter Davis will put forward a motion to request support from the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

It states: “While HMOs can provide an important source of affordable accommodation, their proliferation in certain areas has led to issues including overcrowding, pressure on local services, and a decline in housing quality.

“In the past five years, the number of licensed HMOs in Oldham has almost doubled.

They also want the Labour government to amend rules regarding permission for HMOs of up to six people, asking for it to: “Reverse the changes introduced by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2010, which removed the requirement for planning permission for small houses of multiple occupation.”

Oldham Council will vote on the proposal at a full council meeting on Wednesday, April 9.