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People living on a peaceful dead-end street claim that their quality of life is deteriorating due to irresponsible property owners disregarding zoning regulations.
Over the past six months, a landlord’s scheme to convert the garden into a ‘gym’ led to a family without a formal address relocating to a studio apartment.
Now his neighbor is constructing a two-story building after informing the local council that they wanted only single-story garages.
“It has simply become absurd,” stated Jay Hussain, an auditor spearheading the resident’s counteraction against Walsall Council.
‘This has always been a quiet street, now the turning circle at the end of the road is so full of rubble and cars that the bin lorries can’t turn round.’
Brookhouse Road descends toward the bustling area.
Birmingham
The road, linked via a walkway, is where the issues have originated.
The three-storey Victorian terraces which back onto Brookhouse Road have all been converted into Homes of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) or self-contained flats.
Moreover, according to locals, the landlords simply cannot cease overcrowding properties and are consistently outmaneuvering local planners.
Mr. Hussain, who has forwarded many emails to the Council regarding violations of the established plans, stated: “We have reached our limit.”
‘At most, it seems the Council doesn’t care, while at worst, they appear corrupt.’
Issues began arising when proposals were made to construct a gym in the backyard of one of the properties, a terraced house divided into five independent apartments.
“We all felt it looked like quite an extensive gym to have in one’s backyard,” stated Asadul Haque, a 47-year-old manufacturer who resides with his family beside the development site.
Currently, it accommodates a family. We recently had furnishings brought to this property. They seem to consider it as part of our street.
Now the landlord, a Mr S Ali, has submitted ‘retrospective’ plans to change an existing outbuilding into a ‘self-contained dwelling’.
Jenny Smith, 81, who moved in with her husband Ken, an accountant, and their two young children, in 1980, said: ‘This road was lovely. It has always been quiet and our children played in the street.
‘The number of vehicles you might encounter daily could easily be counted with just one hand, but that has completely shifted.’
The two garages associated with the property on Birmingham Road have been converted into a development site.
‘We have had bags of rubbish lying around since before Christmas and the workers don’t know where to put their cars.
‘The turning circle ought to be clear for fire trucks and garbage collection vehicles, among others, but this rule no longer applies.’
Residents mentioned that they frequently find themselves waking up due to loud noises, as construction workers often start their work as early as 8 am on Sundays.
The designs for the new garage, workshop, and home office originally featured a flat roof; however, the residents noticed that stairs have now been added alongside a pitched roof instead.
Mr. Hussain stated: “Walsall Council is establishing a scenario wherein one can violate planning regulations and face no consequences.”
If one health maintenance organization landlord can do this, then what prevents the neighbor from doing the exact same thing?
‘It appears that the Council isn’t really interested in hearing what the residents have to say.’
I’m baffled about why they pay CEOs £200,000 and planners at £160,000 when they continually increase the Council Tax each year.
‘Their inaction is spoiling a peaceful, diverse neighborhood.’
The most recent letter from the residents to the Council alleged bias toward the real estate developers.
The message stated: “We have been expressing increasing worries regarding the property owner’s ongoing construction of a shed at the rear of their garden. This development appears to be distinctly contrary to the plans that were sanctioned by the Council.”
He deceived the planning department with an inaccurate description of the structure to obtain planning permission.
As initially approved for single-story garages and workshops, the project has evolved into a two-story structure suitable for residential use, extending the current HMO.
The letter continued: “This behavior is posing a danger of establishing a precedent in the neighborhood for tolerating zoning violations, a concern that is becoming increasingly evident on our block.”
The proprietor of property number 253 continues their renovations knowing that the Council is powerless and unlikely to intervene.
The person who owns property number 255 is getting an opportunity to present revised proposals for what has become a studio apartment, which contradicts their initially sanctioned plans.
The negative impact of unchecked Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and self-contained accommodations is already apparent along this route, and as residents, we refuse to let these entities or other landlords compromise our security, safety, and communal well-being.
A representative from the Walsall Council stated, “Our team is actively investigating the concerns brought forward by local residents and has supplied several comprehensive explanations regarding the procedures we are implementing. This includes a formal complaint procedure that has been finalized.”
The national planning framework permits the filing of retroactive development proposals, and we are obligated to review whatever comes our way.
We continue to stay in touch with the respective property owners to work together on resolving any remaining issues that come under the scope of our authority.
A collaborative effort has been established among our planning, highways, housing standards, and community protection teams to deliver residents a thorough overview and latest updates on every issue at hand.
Even though the council officials examined the grievances and inspected the site, they explicitly stated that there isn’t enough proof at present to take any actions regarding the concerns of traffic and parking problems as well as antisocial behavior.
‘Appropriate evidence will keep being gathered to guide any subsequent actions or required future assessments of the issues mentioned.’
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