Plans to turn shop into HMO is pushed back

NEIGHBOURS AND MP SAY AREA IS STRUGGLING TO COPE WITH HMOS

- BY ALEXANDER BROCK Local Democracy Reporter

The shop in Pershore Road, in Cotteridge

A CONTROVERSIAL decision on plans to convert a shop into a hostel in a south Birmingham suburb has been pushed back.

Permission was being sought for a change of use from a shop at 1726-1728 Pershore Road in Cotteridge to a six-bedroom house of multiple occupation (HMO).

But the proposal attracted a serious backlash from neighbours and local MP Al Carns, who argued the area was already struggling to cope with the number of HMOs.

Locals living nearby also suggested there was an 'over-concentration of HMOs' and that further ones could 'undermine community cohesion.'

Mr Carns also said he was concerned over potential issues with antisocial behaviour from tenants, according to a council officer's report.