Plans to house up to 22 people in a six-bedroom house are “terrible”, a Wirral councillor has said.

A recently submitted application to turn 32 Westbank Road in Tranmere into a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) for up to 22 people has proved highly controversial among neighbours. If plans are approved, the six-room detached home would house six separate families, with just one kitchen.

Plans explain that no unrelated people would be sharing rooms. Five of the rooms would be for families of four, while a sixth room would be for two people – totalling up to 22 people across the property. Each family would have their own en-suite.

Katie Howie, who lives on the street, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she has signed a petition against the HMO. She said, “When we moved here we didn’t expect HMOs. It could just be a family home.” Ms Howie also raised concerns over how the HMO could impact house prices for neighbouring properties.

She also believed the location is not suited to a large HMO. “This is a nice road with nice families,” she said.

Katie Howie

Gaynor Parry also lives near the planned HMO site on Westbank Road. “I can’t imagine four people living in one room,” she said. Ms Parry also raised concerns over how so many people could share one kitchen. She added, “It’s like we’re going back to ‘the courts’.”

Gaynor Parry

Court housing (often ‘back-to-back’ houses) is described by Liverpool Museums as being “densely packed court housing in a state of severe dilapidation,” and was used in Liverpool in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Three cars can park on the street outside the house. The locals who spoke to the LDRS believed this is unlikely to be enough for six families of up to 22 people.

The house is within Wirral Council’s Prenton ward. Local councillor, Naomi Graham, told the LDRS that she has serious concerns regarding the plans. She said, “The living conditions for possible future residents is my overriding concern.”

The Green Party councillor also raised concerns about a lack of parking and sufficient cycle storage spaces included in the plans.

Fellow Green Party councillor, Pat Cleary represents the neighbouring Birkenhead and Tranmere ward. Cllr Cleary described it as “a terrible application with terrible conditions,” and added, “I fully expect this to be thrown out by officers.”

Cllr Cleary suggested the application is a damning indictment of the state of housing, both locally and across the country. “We need more social and affordable housing,” he argued.

The application itself says the plans would create “high-quality residential accommodation” and that the room sizes in the house are “generous”. The plans claim that each room could in fact “comfortably accommodate more than four occupants”. However, they have set the limit at four.

The plans justify the lack of parking with the site’s proximity to public transport routes. Plans say, “Two train stations are situated within walking distance of the site, and the property is positioned on established bus routes serving destinations across Wirral and into Liverpool city centre.”

The application also claims the planned cycle storage capable of fitting six bikes is “considered appropriate for the scale and location of the development”.

The planning agent behind the plans has been approached for comment.

Lead image: Cllrs Pat Cleary and Naomi Graham at 32 Westbank Road. All images credit: Andrew Spence

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