Overview

• A separate nine-room HMO proposal on Station Road won council approval on June 23, marking the first expanded HMO endorsement in Darlington this week.
• Vnoutchkov Properties is seeking permission to add three ground-floor bedrooms to an ongoing conversion that has turned a three-bed house into a six-bed HMO.
• Sixteen objection letters cite increased anti-social incidents, from reported robberies to disorderly conduct, and residents have launched a petition for stricter planning measures.
• Planning officers conclude the Greenbank Road expansion complies with local development policies and note no proven links between existing HMOs and crime or highway hazards.
• Darlington Borough Council’s planning committee will review the Greenbank Road application on July 3 to determine whether to grant permission.