Council Asked to Approve Hartlepool HMO Despite Police Warning Over Crime and ASB..
Updated: 1 day ago
Police Reveal 1,848 Crimes in Burn Valley as Controversial Elwick Road HMO Goes Before Councillors..
30th Sep 2026
Plans to convert a large Hartlepool home into an eight-bedroom house in multiple occupation are being recommended for approval despite Cleveland Police warning that the development could place further pressure on an area already experiencing high levels of crime, drugs and antisocial behaviour.
The controversial application for 100 Elwick Road will go before Hartlepool Borough Council’s Planning Committee on the 7th of October.
The proposal would see the vacant five-bedroom property converted into a large HMO for up to eight occupants. The scheme was originally submitted as a nine-bedroom development before being reduced during the planning process.
The application has attracted significant opposition from local residents and ward councillors, with objections raising concerns about parking, traffic, crime, antisocial behaviour, noise, waste, the loss of a family-sized home and the growing concentration of HMOs in the surrounding area. But among the strongest objections has come from Cleveland Police, who have repeatedly told the council that it does not support the development.
In comments included within the committee papers, the neighbourhood policing inspector warned that introducing a high-occupancy HMO into the area could increase existing pressures and undermine work aimed at stabilising the neighbourhood.
Cleveland Police said that poorly managed HMOs can result in additional calls for service, safeguarding concerns, tenancy disputes and antisocial behaviour, and warned that the proposed development could introduce further vulnerability into an area already facing considerable challenges.
Police reveal scale of crime around proposed HMO
For the 12 months between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, Clevelannd Police recorded 1,848 offences in Burn Valley, representing 14% of offences across the Hartlepool police area.
Of those, 868 were violence-against-the-person offences, while the figures also included 74 sexual offences, 80 recorded drug offences and 93 offences involving weapons.
Cleveland Police described Burn Valley as suffering the second-highest level of crime and antisocial behaviour across the Hartlepool local police area, particularly in relation to acquisitive crime, violence, drugs and youth ASB, with elwick Road itself identified as the most frequently recurring street for recorded offences in the Burn Valley figures, with 177 offences attributed to the road during the period covered by the briefing.
Even the Police question whether 'working professionals' will occupy property..
The applicant has sought to address concerns by saying the HMO would be marketed towards what they claim is "working professionals and key workers", with prospective tenants subject to referencing and verification checks.
But Cleveland Police questioned whether that intended tenant profile was in fact 'realistic' for the location.
Police said the immediate area had experienced significant socio-economic challenges and sustained problems involving drug supply, violence and antisocial behaviour, including premises closure orders around nearby Rydal Street.
The force warned that if the property struggled to attract the intended tenants, there was a risk of increased turnover or pressure to fill vacant rooms with people who did not fit the original target market.
Police nevertheless acknowledged the applicant's proposed vetting arrangements and willingness to engage with neighbourhood officers.
Council says police have not established causal link..
Council planning officers, many of whom do not live in Hartlepool have reportedly reached a much different conclusion over the plans, with officers claiming no evidence has been provided demonstrating a causal link between the proposed HMO — or existing HMOs — and the crime and ASB issues identified by police.
After assessing the application, council planners conclude that converting the existing five-bedroom dwelling into an eight-bedroom HMO would not cause a significant adverse effect on the character of the area, neighbouring residents, parking, highway safety, crime or antisocial behaviour.
The formal recommendation before councillors is therefore to APPROVE the application when it goes before the committee next week, subject to conditions.
