Purley residents have voiced their opposition to a planning application for the conversion of a single dwellinghouse into a 6-bedroom, 9-person House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) at 48 Brighton Road. The Croydon Council Planning Sub-Committee considered the application at its meeting on 3 July 2025.
The application, reference 25/00069/FUL, seeks permission to change the use of the property from a Use Class C3 dwelling to a Sui Generis HMO. No external alterations to the building are proposed.
Councillor Samir Dwesar requested the application be considered by the committee, raising concerns including insufficient information, loss of a family home, overconcentration of HMOs in the area, residential amenity, substandard accommodation, lack of electric vehicle charging points, and potential flooding.
According to the Public Reports Pack, objections were also received from two members of the public and the Purley & Woodcote Residents Association. The residents association raised concerns that several rooms appeared to fall under the floor area requirements of Croydon Council's HMO standards, and that it was unclear if sufficient kitchen facilities had been provided.
The Director of Planning and Sustainable Regeneration recommended that planning permission be granted, stating that the proposal would provide an alternative source of housing, and that the addition of an eighth registered HMO in the area would not represent an over proliferation of HMOs. The report also stated that the proposed rooms would meet Croydon's HMO standards, and that the proposed development would provide satisfactory accommodation for future occupiers.