A plan to convert a property on Purrett Road in Plumstead into a three-bedroom House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) has been approved by Greenwich Council's Local Planning Committee. The decision, made at a meeting on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, saw the committee grant full planning permission for the change of use of 74 Purrett Road from a single-family dwelling to a six-person HMO.
The proposal also includes associated cycle and refuse storage, and alterations to the property. The application had faced significant resident objections concerning parking pressure, noise, and the concentration of HMOs in the area. Residents highlighted that Purrett Road is already a busy street with limited parking, and that the introduction of more HMOs could exacerbate these issues. Officers stated that for this application, there were no policies restricting HMO concentration.
During the meeting, councillors heard from objectors who raised concerns about the potential for increased noise and disturbance, and the loss of family housing. To address potential noise and disturbance, a condition was recommended requiring an Operational Management Plan shall be provided to, and approved in writing by, the Local Authority. Details shall include, but are not limited to: Details as to how the property will be managed in order to minimise the impact on the residential amenity of adjoining owner/occupiers. Details of a 24-hour emergency telephone number to be utilised by residents should any concerns from noise nuisance arise. Details of proposed regular inspections to the HMO use and commitments for the logging of the results of such inspections.
A condition was also added limiting the number of occupiers to a maximum of six persons and removing permitted development rights to ensure that further works to expand the property cannot be undertaken without prior approval.
However, officers noted that the parking survey submitted indicated sufficient capacity to accommodate any additional parking demand generated by the proposed development. This survey, conducted following the Lambeth methodology, involved overnight parking beats at 00:30 and 01:30 on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th of March. The results showed approximately 72-74% occupancy, which is below the 85% stress threshold, suggesting spare parking capacity on local roads. The survey considered parking across several roads within 200 metres of the site, including Vicarage Park, Vicarage Road, St Margaret's Terrace, Manthorpe Road, Copland Place, Blenden Terrace and St Margaret's Grove. The Highways Officer raised no objection to the proposal with regards to traffic, parking or deliveries to the site.
The committee ultimately approved the application, with some councillors voting against it due to concerns about disabled access and parking. The final decision was made with five votes in favour, three against, and one abstention.
For context, in other recent applications, concerns about the concentration of HMOs have been raised by residents and ward councillors. For example, on St Margaret's and Blenden Terrace, significant pressure on roads and difficulty parking during the day were noted. Objectors have also highlighted potential anti-social behaviour and the displacement of traffic further into the area. Despite these concerns, officers have consistently stated that for specific applications, including the one at 74 Purrett Road, there were no policies restricting HMO concentration.
In relation to disabled access, concerns were raised by councillors regarding lifts and stairs for residents who might acquire a disability. Proposed measures to address this included platform lifts at steps to ensure step-free access, which were reviewed as acceptable by the council's housing occupational therapist officer and stated to be compliant with building regulations. The applicant's agent confirmed these lifts were designed for external, everyday use, suitable for wheelchairs, buggies, or deliveries.
The proposed alterations to the property at 74 Purrett Road include associated cycle and refuse storage. While specific details for this site were not elaborated upon in the provided text, similar applications have included dedicated timber waste stores and cycle stores within the garden areas. For instance, one application proposed five 240-litre bins stored in the front garden with a dedicated timber waste store, and cycle parking for six cycles within a dedicated timber cycle store in the rear garden.
Further details on the meeting can be found in the Agenda frontsheet and the Public reports pack for the Local Planning Committee meeting on 14 July 2026.
