Brislington locals are rallying against a proposal to turn a family home into a shared house for nine residents, citing parking and community concerns.
Brislington: Folks living on Wick Road are really upset about a plan to change a regular three-bedroom house into a shared home for nine people. They’re worried it’ll make parking even worse and change the vibe of their lovely Edwardian street.
The landlord from Easton wants to turn the house into a six-bedroom HMO, and so far, 54 neighbors have objected. Local councillors Tim Rippington and Katja Hornchen are also against it and have made sure it goes to a committee if the planning officers think it should be approved.
This house, built around 1910, is currently a cozy two-up-two-down. The proposed changes would create a shared kitchen-diner and living room downstairs, with en-suite bedrooms upstairs and even in the loft. But the smallest room would be pretty tiny at just 6.51m².
People are noticing that this kind of conversion is happening more often in Bristol’s older streets. There are rules in place to limit these changes, especially in areas that already have a lot of HMOs. One rule is about ‘sandwiching,’ where a family home ends up stuck between two HMOs.
Most objections focus on parking problems, especially with a primary school nearby. One neighbor pointed out that the area is meant for families and schools, and adding an HMO could disrupt the community. Another resident, who’s lived there for 50 years, mentioned how parking has become a nightmare, especially during school drop-off and pick-up times.
Councillor Rippington expressed concern about the number of HMOs in Brislington. He believes that while this application might not technically break any rules, having two other HMOs right across the street is pushing it. He also highlighted a nearby 10-bed HMO under construction, saying it would only worsen the already tricky traffic situation.
The council is expected to make a decision on this proposal in the coming weeks, and residents are anxiously waiting to see what happens.
