Plan to turn old village rectory in Milton Keynes into 28-unit HMO recommended for refusal

Planning officers at Milton Keynes Council have recommended refusal for the the proposal, in Simpson, which was most recently used as Five Acres nursing home, with 24 places.

They say that if the scheme goes ahead, with 28 units housing up to 56 people, it would mean around three quarters of properties in the area would be HMOs.

That is more than double the 35 per cent limit set by council policies.

Jeremy Lee, a council senior planning officer says: “It is therefore considered that such an excessive predominance of one type of housing would unbalance the housing mix of the area to the detriment of community cohesion and integration and the character of the area.”

But the agent for applicant Mala Mandadi says the council has to treat all applications on their merits.

And they have given the committee several policy reasons why they believe it should be given the green light.

The plan has kicked up a stink in Simpson to such an extent that all three district ward councillors have asked for the decision to be made by elected councillors.

Cllr Ric Brackenbury (Lib Dem, Campbell Park & Old Woughton) said: “Overall this feels like a budget proposal cramming as many units on the site as possible, and I feel it would benefit from councillor scrutiny.”

Simpson and Ashland Parish Council has told the committee that it is concerned that it is “likely to introduce a large number of young people, with little access to facilities, into a small area.”

The parish council consider that this is likely to lead to anti-social behaviour.

But the developers say that the site, which has been vacant since closing as a Five Acres Nursing Home in 2017, has been hit by antisocial behaviour and is costing money to manage.

They were given permission to turn it into nine flats but since 2018 it has been “marketed unsuccessfully for sale” hence wanting to make a different use of it.

They say it is in a good, well connected location and 28 HMOs, which are needed locally, “will make a valuable contribution towards the council’s housing land supply.”

Councillors are set to decide the application at Thursday’s development control panel, which will be held virtually from 7pm and is set to be broadcast live on Milton Keynes Council’s YouTube channel.