Smethwick HMO plans that attracted 100-signature petition return for third time

Plans to turn a Smethwick home into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) which were rejected twice after receiving a wave of objections from neighbours have returned for a third time.

The application to convert the home in Cheshire Road, Smethwick, into an eight-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) has been rejected by planners at Sandwell Council twice in two years over noise and parking concerns.

New plans have now been submitted asking to reduce the plans by one room to create a seven-bed HMO.

A plan to turn the home into an eight-bed HMO was rejected in March last year over concerns it would add to parking problems, and again in January this year after the council said the “intensification” and “increase in noise and general disturbance” from the proposed HMO would be to the detriment of neighbours.

The building was registered as a five-bed HMO in December 2025 and can be converted into a six-bed HMO without the need for planning permission.

Rejecting the application earlier this year, the council’s planners found the internal layout of the building was “poor” and would result in an “unacceptable living environment” for residents – particularly a basement living room that relied solely on artificial lighting.

The original planning application for an HMO resulted in petitions with nearly 100 signatures being handed to Sandwell Council opposing the move.

The application was resubmitted again to Sandwell Council with little to no changes – which led to more objections being raised by neighbours.

One objector said: “I can find nothing different in this application, it is no different to the previous application which was refused.

“All the reasons for the previous refusal remain exactly the same.

“This seems to be a blatant attempt to try and try again in the hope the application is successful.”

Another objector added: “Cheshire Road is comprised of terraced housing with no off-street parking provision. From mid-afternoon onwards parking is at a premium.

“The proposed households may not have access to vehicles, but the same may not be the case for visitors to them.

“Poor parking etiquette is an increasing problem on the road with cars parked on pavements with the parked vehicles blocking the pavement for parents with buggies, wheelchair users and people who are blind or partially sighted.”

The local authority’s planners said the previously proposed HMO, which through an extension would double the size of the existing four-bed Victorian mid-terrace home, would also result in more noise and disturbance for neighbours.

A report outlining the council’s rejection said the plans showed one shared kitchen for the eight residents but did not include seating or a fridge.

The rooms, the majority of which measured between six and nine square metres, contained enough room for a bed and wardrobe, the council added, but little else for a desk or chair.

The applicant Karanjeet Singh from Nidh Properties had told the council that the home’s basement could be used as a shared facility which planners ruled would “not provide a suitable living environment”.