Slough residents given 6 months to leave unauthorised rented house-share

Residents living in a rented house-share in Slough have been given six months to leave after the planning inspector upheld a council enforcement notice.

Three people in the nine-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) at 41 and 41a Shaggy Calf Lane will have to find alternative accommodation because of the planning control breach. 

The home, near St Joseph’s Catholic School, has been run as a large HMO but only had permission for a maximum of six bedrooms.

Slough Borough Council issued an enforcement notice to Ismart Property Solutions Ltd and landlord Manga Singh, who run the HMO, in July last year.

In its notice, Slough council said the property had caused issues with parking on the ‘heavily trafficked Shaggy Calf highway’ because there were only three spaces on site.

It said the property was causing ‘disturbances’ for neighbours and gave the occupiers five months to comply.

Ismart Property Solutions Ltd appealed this decision to the Planning Inspectorate - a government organisation that deals with planning disputes.

The appeal argued that the notice requirements were ‘excessive’ and did not allow enough time to comply.

But planning inspector Stephen Hawkins, whose decision was published this month, has ruled in favour of the council.

Mr Hawkins said the Shaggy Calf Lane property’s use as a large HMO had resulted in a ‘substantial increase’ in occupiers.

He said parking at the site fell ‘well short’ of the standards required by Slough council.

In his ruling, Mr Hawkins did alter the timing of the enforcement notice from five months to six.

‘The slightly longer period available to the occupiers to vacate the property would further reduce the risk of anyone facing the prospect of being made homeless,’ Mr Hawkins said.  

Number 41a was also the subject of a council enforcement notice in 2017 over unauthorised use of an outbuilding as residential accommodation - also upheld at appeal by the planning inspector. 

When asked why the property continued to operate as a large HMO when planning permission had been refused, a spokesperson from Ismart Property Solutions Ltd said:

“As the managing agents for the landlord, we acknowledge the Planning Inspectorate's decision to uphold Slough Borough Council's enforcement notice.”

“While we are disappointed with the outcome, we respect the inspector's ruling and are working to ensure compliance within the prescribed timeframe.

"Supported by comprehensive supporting evidence, we were confident that all planning considerations and policies had been addressed.

"It is particularly disappointing that different planning professionals can arrive at different conclusions based on the same set of facts, highlighting the subjectivity of the planning process."

The property landlord Manga Singh could not be reached for comment.