Banbury neighbours fear 8-bed, multiple-occupation house would ruin their community

Residents of homes in Warwick Road and surrounding streets have reacted fiercely to plans to convert one of the properties into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) with eight double-bedded, en-suite rooms.

The application is for 127, Warwick Road, an end of terrace, Victorian family house that currently has three bedrooms, one bathroom and two reception rooms.

The owner asks Cherwell District Council for permission to redevelop the property to allow eight bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms, two kitchens and a common room, over three storeys.

The property received planning consent separately last year for an outbuilding to provide ancillary accommodation and side and rear extensions.

The house has a garage and space for three cars on the driveway. The applicant says parking for eight cycles would be provided.

Neighbours say the plans are over-development of the property. They fear parking problems, noise and that the old Victorian sewage systems would not manage eight bathroom facilities.

A close neighbour said: “Unlike single households, HMO residents are more transient, with shorter tenancies and a higher turnover rate. This reduces the sense of community and accountability among residents, which can in turn lead to reduced care for the property and surrounding environment. Increased foot traffic, gatherings, late-night activity and inconsiderate parking are all realistic concerns for those of us living nearby.

“In family-oriented neighbourhoods like ours, which predominantly consist of long-term residents, these changes will not only reduce quality of life but could also deter families from remaining or moving into the area.

"We were told by the owner of the property that his intention was to update the property as a multi-generational family home. It was therefore disheartening to see this planning application come to light, but also the fact that the the plans were drawn up as early as March, when conversations up until recently with the owner were that it was to be a family home.

"We did not object to the prior plans under this understanding. No prior plans included the driveway.

“The proposed conversion to an eight-bedroom HMO, with all rooms shown containing double beds, introduces the potential for up to sixteen occupants. Even with eight occupants, this level of occupation represents a significant overdevelopment and is clearly out of keeping with the character of the area.

“This part of Warwick Road is made up of terraced homes predominantly occupied by families, many with young children. It is a close-knit, peaceful community that values neighbourly interaction and a quiet environment. Introducing a large-scale HMO would undermine this, bringing transient occupancy, greater noise levels, increased foot traffic, and a rise in waste and vehicle congestion.

"Warwick Road is a busy main road, the B4100, one of the main routes into Banbury town centre. It has only limited on-street parking and most of the properties on the north side of the road do not have off-street parking so the existing parking is already fully utilised.There is also a risk that this development could set a precedent, leading to the loss of more family homes in favour of high-occupancy rental conversions. This would erode the residential character and community spirit of the area.”

This resident said eight en-suite shower rooms would put undue pressure on the existing water supply and the 100-year-old sewage system.

“The ventilation provisions are grossly inadequate. According to section 6.1.1 of the Cherwell District Council HMO Standards (2018), all habitable rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and toilet compartments must be ventilated directly to external air by a window. However, only one of the proposed bathrooms has an external window; the remaining seven are not on external walls and lack any natural ventilation.”

Another neighbour said: “This is an over-development of the site. This is trying to cram in too many people. In particular, we are concerned about lack of parking for 18 people with inadequate turning space. We worry that the noise levels at the rear of our house (currently very peaceful) will increase significantly.”

And another neighbour said: “I believe the increased activity and turnover of residents within a HMO and lack of accountability within, will lead to significantly increased noise and disturbances (such as, loud music, parties, general increased noise from a house with multiple occupants, late night comings and goings) thereby having a serious negative impact on myself and residents of surrounding properties.

“I find it wholly unbelievable that a house with eight bedrooms (a minimum of eight persons) will have only four cars and I am very concerned about the impact of multiple additional vehicles needing to be parked. There undoubtedly will also be visitors to the house – family, partners etc which will lead to yet further additional vehicles trying to park.

“Already people park on the public footpath to avoid parking on the road which is a danger to pedestrians, this would be exacerbated by additional cars trying to park.”

Cllr Chukwudi Okeke, district councillor for Banbury Cross and Neithrop, said: “I requested that the planning application 25/00828/F be called in and decided by the planning committee, following residents' concerns.

"A high number of residents from those consulted by the council have registered their objections to the application.

"Parking along that stretch of Warwick Road has always been a safety concern and it was for this reason that my fellow Labour councillors and I campaigned to have the speed limit of that stretch reduced from 30mph to 20mph.