Small HMO plan sparks uproar

A small HMO in Ashton that left locals disgusted has been rejected by Tameside council.

Residents of Arundel Street have been disturbed by a house of multiple occupation (HMO) since December last year. Neighbours have reported fire alarms going off in the early hours and seeing one tenant naked multiple times.

Currently, five tenants live in the two-storey terraced house. This is despite developers, Sourcing Partners, having been refused planning permission for a five-bed HMO twice. 

Enforcement action hasn’t been taken by the council because new planning applications were submitted by the developer. The latest proposal saw plans reduced to a three-bedroom HMO, with two bedrooms converted into living rooms upstairs and downstairs.

This sparked anger with neighbours. 

Speaking at the latest Tameside council planning meeting, Ardundel Street resident Kieron Short said: “This is now the third time we’ve been here. People have been living in the property since December 2025. 

“We can see the man in the front room through the window. We regularly see him naked.”

He went on to say that a three-person family living there is the perfect solution. Mr Short described the desire to have a HMO as ‘pure greed’ by the landlord.

Cllr Jake Frater described having to see the man naked regularly as ‘disgusting’. After hearing there was a high turnover of tenants, Cllr Allan Hopwood added that ‘transient occupants don’t make for a good community’. 

Planning agent Ralph Taylor, speaking on behalf of the applicant, explained that the new proposal ‘ticked all the boxes’ in terms of meeting planning regulations.

He said: “I sympathise with what residents have said. We have been made aware of the issues the residents have by planning officers.

“HMOs provide an important part of the borough’s housing stock. This is already a residential dwelling in a residential area.

“On paper this ticks all the boxes.”

The landlord not showing up to answer questions from the panel was described as ‘disrespectful’ by a number of councillors.

Speaking directly to planning agent Ralph Taylor, Cllr Vicent Ricci said: “It looks like you’ve been thrown to the wolves here young man. 

“If the landlord is ‘going along with the council’ on this plan, why are there still five people living there when the plans have been refused twice? They have a total disregard for Tameside planning.”

Councillors felt adding potential parking to a congested terraced street, disturbance to neighbours and a lack of a bin management plan displayed this wasn’t a HMO up to standard.

Following a unanimous vote at the meeting in Droylsden’s Guardsman Tony Downes House, the plan was refused on the grounds it would adversely impact on residential amenity.