From Hartlepool Family Street to HMO Row? Residents Face Yet Another Property Conversion...
- teessidetoday
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The applicant has applied to Hartlepool Borough Council for a Lawful Development Certificate converting the family home into a HMO for up to four occupants.
24th December 2025
A recent planning application has once again placed the issue of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) firmly in the spotlight in Hartlepool, reigniting concerns among locals about over-concentration, neighbourhood stability, and the long-term direction of housing policy in the town.
It comes following an application made to Hartlepool Borough Council seeking a Certificate of Lawfulness to change the use of a traditional family home in Avondale Gardens, Hartlepool, into a four-bedroom House of Multiple Occupation.
According to the planning statement submitted to the council & seen by the Teesside & Durham Post, the property is currently classified as a standard dwellinghouse. The proposal would see it converted into a four-bedroom HMO (Use Class C4), with each bedroom containing its own en-suite bathroom. A shared kitchen would be retained, but notably no communal living space is proposed..
The applicant argues the change of use does not require full planning permission, as the property is not located within an Article 4 Direction area, meaning permitted development rights still apply. On this basis, the application seeks formal confirmation that the conversion would be lawful under existing planning legislation.
Why This Application Is Controversial
Although technically compliant with current planning rules, applications of this nature are said to be becoming increasingly controversial across Hartlepool, with Residents in raising raised persistent concerns about the gradual loss of family housing in Hartlepool which, in turn is pushing up rent prices. Locals are also said to be voicing concerns over the increased pressure on parking, waste services, and local infrastructure, as well as anti-social behaviour linked to poorly managed HMOs not to mention A perceived lack of community cohesion the controversial developments are causing.
Avondale Gardens is said to be not widely known as a transient or high-density rental area, making the proposed conversion particularly sensitive for nearby homeowners who bought into what they believed was a stable residential street.
Critics argue that the permitted development loophole allows developers and landlords to bypass proper democratic scrutiny, leaving communities with little say over fundamental changes to the character of their area.
Changes are on the Horizon
The application also arrives at a time when potential reforms to HMO regulations are being actively discussed at national level. The government has faced growing pressure from councils and residents to tighten the rules, particularly around the removal of permitted development rights for C3 to C4 conversions, expanding Article 4 Directions to cover entire towns rather than small pockets & Introducing stricter national space standards and management requirements.
If such reforms are implemented, future applicants may no longer be able to rely on Certificates of Lawfulness alone, and full planning applications — open to public objection — could become the norm.
For many local's, this raises an uncomfortable question: are local councils being flooded with HMO conversions now, before the rules change?
Certainty for Lenders, Uncertainty for Residents
The applicant’s own statement makes it clear that one of the key motivations behind the application is to provide certainty for refinancing once the conversion works are complete. While that may make financial sense for landlords and lenders, it does little to reassure residents worried about the cumulative impact of HMOs on their community.
As Hartlepool continues to grapple with housing pressures, selective licensing debates, and a collapsing private rented sector, applications like this are likely to remain deeply divisive.
The plans can be viewed on Hartlepool Borough Councils planning portal website via the following link
