Controversial HMO plans for Sunderland building withdrawn after more than 80 objections

Earlier this year, Sunderland City Council’s planning department received a planning application to convert 7 Rowlandson Terrace, off Ryhope Road, in the Hendon ward.

According to the planning listing the three-storey house had previously been used as three flats.

New plans from Alfred Earnest Estates aimed to transform the property into a HMO, a property type which includes multiple households living together with communal facilities.

Initial plans proposed eight bedrooms across three floors, with two bedrooms and a kitchen/dining area on the ground floor, three bedrooms on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second floor.

During the application process, the HMO plan was amended to include seven bedrooms instead of eight as originally proposed.

Following a council consultation process however the development sparked significant public opposition, with 82 objections in total.

The objections, posted on the council’s planning portal website, raised a range of concerns about the HMO and proposed change of use.

This included the potential for anti-social behaviour from tenants and the development worsening existing parking issues locally.

Some comments noted the site’s close proximity to schools and nurseries, while other comments said the plans were “out of character” with the area and could set a precedent for more HMO applications on Rowlandson Terrace.

One objection came from local regeneration charity Back on the Map about the HMO’s impact on the residential street.

In a consultation comment it was argued that the development could create a “ripple effect of decline” on the “attractive and vibrant street”, as well as being “disruptive” to the street’s “family nature”.

Although some objectors noted the role of HMO accommodation in Sunderland’s housing market, they said Rowlandson Terrace was not the right location.

Northumbria Police also objected to the proposal after raising concerns about the wider links between crime and disorder and HMOs and the absence of off-street parking at Rowlandson Terrace.

A consultation statement from the police noted local objections and raised concerns about “the shift toward more transient accommodation and the loss of viable family homes”.

During the application process, a management plan was provided by the applicant which said the HMO would be targeted at “young professionals”.

It was noted that all prospective tenants would undergo credit and reference checks as well as having to provide proof of identification and an employer reference, and that they would have to abide by “house rules”.

This includes a “limit of social gatherings permitted past certain times” as well as a protocol to “deal with any anti-social behaviour”.

The supporting statement from applicants added: “The procedure to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by tenants of the property or their guests/ associates will start with a verbal warning.

“If the problem persists we will then issue a written warning. Finally, if the issue still persists, we will take the appropriate legal action.

“We will also include a clause within their tenant contract stating that they are responsible for any anti-social behaviour by themselves and/or their visitors”.

A request to ‘call in’ the HMO application to be decided by the council’s Planning and Highways Committee was made by Hendon ward councillor Michael Mordey in June 2023.

Despite the applicant submitting a management plan to council planners the following month, objections continued to be submitted to the local authority.

A decision notice published on July 25, 2023, confirmed the HMO plan had been officially withdrawn by the applicant.

More information on the plan and public consultation responses can be found on Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website by searching reference: 23/00902/FUL