HMO with 18 beds approved for former accountants

Plans to turn a former accountants' office into an 18-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO) have been approved, despite concerns about traffic and noise.

North East Lincolnshire Council passed the proposal for the building on Dudley Street, Grimsby, by five votes to three on Friday.

The agent, Matt Deakins, said the development would only need six parking spaces due to its proximity to the town centre and transport links.

Robson Augusta, a Park ward councillor who opposed the plans, described it as "overdevelopment, plain and simple" in an area "already oversaturated" with HMOs.

Augusta said people living on neighbouring Pelham Road already faced parking issues and raised the prospect of a potential impact on community cohesion.

"A full building housing 18 unrelated inhabitants is not compatible with this part of Grimsby town centre," he added.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the building would be the third HMO on Dudley Street.

Tim Mickleburgh, a councillor for the south ward, argued there had been a noted increase in demand for people who wanted to live on their own, which the HMO would cater for.

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