Multiple occupation house approved despite crime fears
A dilapidated former corner shop surrounded by warehouses in a deprived suburb of Wolverhampton is to be turned into a HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) – despite fears of an increase in crime from police.
City council planners this week gave the go-ahead for the vacant property in Upper Villiers Street, Blakenhall, to be refurbished so it can be let as a three-bedroom shared house.
However, concerns had earlier been raised by West Midlands Police, who said statistics showed that a high proportion of certain types of crime were committed within quarter-of-a mile of HMOs.
In a report to planners, Designing Out Crime Officer Tarkan Mehmet-Ali said: “The building is located within a predominantly commercial area surrounded by a large number of warehouses and other commercial properties, including a parish church on Moor Street South opposite.
“Construction sites often suffer from theft, criminal damage, arson and anti-social behaviour, all of which can have a major impact on completion dates and overall development costs.
“The area is impacted by a heavy footfall of commercial activity during the day which lends itself to good levels of natural surveillance, but this then decreases by the evening time.
“There is no off-street parking attached to the existing property or forming part of the proposed HMO development,” he added.
West Midlands Police submitted the following statistics in response to the application:
84.4 per cent of anti-social behaviour offences within Wolverhampton occurred within 0.25m of an HMO.
84.4 per cent of arson and criminal damage within Wolverhampton occurred within 0.25m of an HMO.
82.7 per cent of burglaries committed in Wolverhampton occurred within 0.25m of an HMO.
90.8 per cent of reported drug offences in Wolverhampton occurred within 0.25m of an HMO.
29.5 per cent of all total reported crime in Dudley occurred within 0.25m of an HMO.
The application was made by Mr Vijay Bansal, whose agents Thorne Architecture said in a statement: “The existing shop and flat above has been vacant for many years and has started to fall into disrepair. Our client has recently started to carry out refurbishment/repair works.
“As the layout of the existing retail unit does not provide independent access to the first floor accommodation, we are proposing to rebuild the existing rear
extension to provide a new kitchen area to serve the flat above, together with a new access door to provide independent access to first-floor flat”.
Mr Mehmet-Ali added: “Looking at the crime statistics and police systems for the last 12-month period (April 2021 to April 2022) for the Blakenhall ward area, I found the following numbers of crimes and offences reported/committed within a 3-mile radius:
“Violence and sexual offences (2,367); vehicle crime (528); public order (472); criminal damage and arson (476); anti-social behaviour (324); burglary (289); other theft (242); shoplifting (166); other crime (109); robbery (79); possession of weapons (76); drugs (71); bicycle theft (33); theft from a person (27).”
Blakenhall councillor Paul Birch (Lab) said: “I am backing West Midlands Police in their view, that granting planning permission is likely to give rise to an increase in crime and illegal behaviour.
“The fact that this has been given the go-ahead confirms my view that planning in the city is not fit for purpose. Were it within my gift, I would fire the whole department and start again.”
A statement granting permission for the application said: “Bringing the property back into use shall improve the appearance of the street scene.
“The proposal does not include any private parking arrangements. However, the transportation department accept that this is a highly accessible location with good public transport links to the city centre. Subsequently, no objection has been raised on these grounds.”
