Plans for new HMO in Hartlepool town centre are withdrawn
Plans for a new town centre six-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO) have been withdrawn.
Proposals had been submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council to transform the first and second floors of 127 York Road.
The application from The Fells Property Rentals would have seen the space become a HMO offering six individual bedrooms together with two communal kitchens and one shared sitting room.
The area is currently storage for the estate agents operating on the ground floor.
Jon Whitfield, the owner of Euro Property Management Limited, which owns the building, said the application had been withdrawn after a deal for The Fells Property Rentals to buy the entire premises collapsed.
Three objections were lodged by nearby residents, raising concerns around the number of HMOs in the area, while Cleveland Police had “concerns about the number of applications for HMOs that are being received in the vicinity of the town centre”.
The police said: “The application for the HMO at 127 York Road is in a defined area of concern with increased issues of anti-social behaviour, aggressive begging and drug dealing which centres around those most vulnerable in society.
“The approval of this HMO application will have a greater impact on the community and a detrimental impact upon local businesses in the area.
“This location has also become a constant issue and raised through the community to the town’s MP.”
A planning statement on behalf of the applicant had argued the development was “sustainable” and would offer “significant benefits” including an “adequate level of privacy” for residents.
More details about public notices affecting Hartlepool are available at https://publicnoticeportal.uk/