Residents 'frightened' to move cars in their street

Residents say they are “frightened” to move their cars in case they lose a coveted parking space. They raised the issue in an unsuccessful attempt to stop plans for a HMO (house in multiple occupation) in their street.

Caerphilly council’s planning committee heard residents of Aberbargoed’s Chapel Street fear allowing more people to live at the property will worsen the scramble for parking. One of those fighting the application, Stephen Fox, said there were already traffic problems from parents dropping children off and picking them up from a nearby primary school.

Services at a local chapel of rest also contribute to parking pressures, he said. 

"We are frightened to move out of the street because you can’t actually get back into the street when there’s a funeral taking place," Mr Fox added.

“Many complaints have gone in. Nothing is ever done."

Mr Fox was speaking in opposition to the conversion of 10 Chapel Street from a three-bedroom home into a HMO for four people.

Paul Parsons, the agent for landlord Vidya Giri, argued “issues to do with the school, or issues to do with the chapel, are nothing to do with this application”.

He said the HMO would be managed by a not-for-profit housing association and that the tenants would be "very unlikely to own a car, so the whole issue to do with parking should not be an issue".

Senior planning officer Carwyn Powell said the change from three to four bedrooms would result in “no change in car parking requirements”.

“I appreciate the concerns of the residents in terms of indiscriminate parking,” he said. “We have to look at the numbers in terms of what is required. The numbers are the same, therefore it’s difficult to justify a refusal on that basis.”

HMOs are typically properties for single, unrelated adults who have their own bedrooms but share other communal areas, such as kitchens or bathrooms.

A council report shows the application attracted 26 letters of objection during public consultation.

Concerns included potential antisocial behaviour, the HMO being overcrowded, a frequent turnover of people living there, and the loss of a family home.

Councillor Mansell Powell told committee colleagues the matter felt like "déjà vu" and had prompted "similar questions to what we get with every other planning application for a HMO".

“These are popping up all over the ward,” he said. “They are popping up everywhere. Unfortunately from a planning point of view, there is very little we can do.”

Other committee members shared similar thoughts about the impact of HMOs.

Councillor Nigel Dix said such properties “can be problematic”, adding: “Neighbours don’t like them, communities don’t like them. The companies who buy these properties are taking away family houses.”

The committee voted to approve the conversion, subject to conditions.