We, the undersigned, petition the London Borough of Hillingdon
to:
(a) refuse planning application 157/APP/2026/147 at 5 Gerrard
Gardens, Eastcote, Pinner, HA5 2PT, for the change of use of a
family bungalow to a four-person wheelchair-accessible House in
Multiple Occupation (Use Class C4) operated as Temporary
Accommodation by Stef & Philips Ltd; and
(b) open an enforcement investigation into the unauthorised works
and material change of use that, on the applicant's own submitted
dates, have already been carried out on site.
We ask the Council to refuse this application on the following
material planning grounds, each anchored to policies the applicant
has themselves identified as relevant in their Planning, Design and
Access Statement:
1. Failure of Policy DMH 5 Part B(iv) on residential amenity and
Policy DMHB 11. Refuse has accumulated on the property frontage for
several weeks to the point that Hillingdon's own refuse service has
declined to collect it. An operator that cannot maintain basic
waste standards during a retrospective application cannot be
trusted to maintain them under a future management plan secured
only by condition.
2. Failure of Policy DMH 5 Part B(iv) on communal amenity space.
The submitted floor plans remove both reception rooms and leave
only a shared kitchen as communal space for four unrelated
occupants, including those with mobility impairments. This is
materially below the standards expected of a small HMO.
3. Failure of Policies DMT 1, DMT 2 and DMT 6 on parking and
highway safety. No parking survey has been submitted. The applicant
has not addressed carer, medical, delivery or accessible-transport
visitor demand specific to a wheelchair-accessible facility, on a
narrow residential street with parking pressure at school drop-off
and pick-up times at the nearby primary schools. This mirrors the
evidential gap on which the Council refused the application at 149
Herlwyn Avenue on 20 March 2026.
4. Over-intensification incompatible with the residential character
of the street. Gerrard Gardens is a quiet residential street of
family bungalows in close proximity to primary schools, with no
existing HMO provision. The applicant's own Welcome Pack confirms
occupants will be "Service-Users" on temporary allocations with
higher turnover than standard residential use. The introduction of
Temporary Accommodation, remotely managed by an operator 13 miles
away in Palmers Green, would materially alter the character of the
street and conflicts with the purpose of the borough-wide Article 4
Direction adopted by the Council on 27 November 2025.
5. Breach of planning control. On the applicant's own submitted
dates, conversion works were completed on 31 December 2025, which
is 21 days after the Article 4 Direction for small HMOs took effect
on 10 December 2025. A wheelchair access ramp, a 7.5 sqm level
platform, four front-entrance key safes and the blocking-up of the
rear door have been carried out on site. The submitted application
form and Design and Access Statement state there are "no external
alterations" and "no altered pedestrian access," neither of which
is accurate when set against the submitted plans or the condition
of the site.
6. Cumulative harm to a community in recovery. Number 9 Gerrard
Gardens, two doors from the application site, was subject to an
Official Police Closure Order and was sold at auction on 16 April
2026. Approval of a further non-standard occupancy on the same
short street within weeks of that resolution would place a fragile
community recovery at risk.
We therefore petition Hillingdon Council to refuse planning
application 157/APP/2026/147 and to exercise its enforcement powers
under sections 172 or 172ZA of the Town and Country Planning Act
1990 in respect of the unauthorised works and material change of
use already carried out on site.
On reaching 20 signatures it may be considered in conjunction with the relevant live planning application at an upcoming Committee meeting. The Council's Democratic Services Team will be in touch with the lead petitioner to advise and take this petition forward accordingly.
This ePetition runs from 22/04/2026 to 04/05/2026.
156 people have signed this ePetition.