A DEVELOPER hoping to build three houses boasting nearly 30 bedrooms in Durham city centre is facing mounting opposition.

Kingswood Properties has applied for permission to build three nine-bedroom houses on a garden next to 24 The Avenue.

However, the proposals have produced uproar from neighbours, who say the houses would be Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) for students, compounding problems of late-night noise, anti-social behaviour, litter and parking.

Carole Reeves, of nearby Nevilledale Terrace, said the houses would change The Avenue’s character and lead to rowdy parties, late-night noise and rubbish being dumped in the wrong place.
“Imagine your street being inundated with an influx of 50 young people intent on having a good time,” she said.

Malgorzata Bialek, of The Avenue, said: “Many students that we have had living near us are very loud and we have had dozens of nights where we were unable to get to sleep due to the various parties and gatherings that the students have, often past 3am.”

The Crossgate Community Partnership (CCP) and Durham City MP Roberta Blackman-Woods have also objected. The CCP claimed each house would have ten bathrooms.

 

In a statement, agent CMF Planning and Design says the proposal would “address the current inadequacies of the site and positively enhance the conservation area.”

Planning permission to build three houses, with up to six bedrooms each, was granted in 2009. This would expire if building had not begun by Sunday, December 16.
New permission is being sought due to the increased number of bedrooms.

CMF says: “The present proposal is identical to the 2009 approval save for minor internal rearrangement of spaces. The aim of the scheme remains to create three independent houses to piece together the streetscape in this part of The Avenue.
“The properties will respond to their surroundings in scale, form and detail and will contribute positively to the quality and character of the conservation area.
“The additional bedrooms are not considered to significantly affect the proposal or its impact on the street or the wider setting.”

Public consultation has closed. A council planning committee is expected to debate the scheme in November or December.