Overview

• The planning committee voted 8–3 to refuse Vnoutchkov Properties’ plan to enlarge a six-bed HMO into nine bedrooms on Greenbank Road.
• The property is already under conversion into a six-bed house in multiple occupation near the town centre and Darlington Memorial Hospital.
• Residents and Councillor Mary Layton warned that constant tenant turnover, overflowing bins and increased noise have eroded the street’s identity.
• Councillor Gerald Lee acknowledged the need for shared housing but said the application failed to prove that harm from disturbance and parking pressure could be avoided.
• Local leaders and councillors are demanding tighter, area-specific controls on HMO conversions to manage rapid growth of shared homes and protect neighbourhood stability.