In recent weeks, several plans for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) have been decided by Durham County Council and Darlington Borough Council.

A HMO is a property that is rented out to at least three people who are not part of the same household. HMOs have shared facilities like a kitchen and bathroom.

Here is a list of recent HMO applications:

Lodged

Greenbank Road

An application was submitted to convert a house on Greenbank Road, Darlington, into a six-bedroom HMO, with no additional building work planned. The proposal, submitted by Daniil Vnoutchkov, is currently awaiting a decision by Darlington Borough Council.

(Image: Google)

Approved

Sherburn Road Estate

Durham County Council has approved plans to convert a house on Sherburn Road Estate into a small HMO for up to four unrelated individuals. The property, managed by Origin Planning Services, is in an area with a low concentration of HMOs according to the council, with only 4.8 per cent of properties within a 100-metre radius being HMOs.

(Image: Google)

Gilesgate

Despite objections from County Councillors and the Parish Council, Durham County Council's planning committee found the development compliant with relevant planning policies, including those related to oversaturation, sustainability, and parking. The property at 58 Bradford Crescent, Gilesgate, will be transformed from a regular home to an HMO for a maximum of three unrelated occupants.

(Image: Google) Plans to convert a second Gilesgate house into a HMO were also approved by the council despite concerns that there are already too many in the city. A three-bedroom house at 3 Aspen Close, Gilesgate Moor, will be transformed into a four-bedroom HMO.

(Image: Google)

Refused or withdrawn

Gilesgate

Durham County Council turned down the application to convert a semi-detached house in Gilesgate into a six-bedroom HMO, citing concerns about the impact on community cohesion.

The council noted that the presence of other HMOs in the area, along with the proximity of bungalow-style homes for non-student residents, influenced the decision.

Consett

The proposal involved converting Consett Desserts on Victoria Road from a bakery into a five-bedroom HMO, but plans were halted after the application to Durham County Council was withdrawn on Thursday.

(Image: Google)

Most read

Why wait for news? With The Northern Echo get real-time updates directly on our ad-free app. Subscribe for unlimited access to our digital edition and enjoy 80% fewer ads on our website. Your news, your way, every day.