Protestors gather to oppose ‘flood of HMOs’ in Shaw

Neighbours in Shaw, Oldham took to the streets this weekend to oppose a ‘flood of HMOs’ entering their town.

Dozens of locals peacefully protested outside Shaw’s War Memorial and Lifelong Learning Centre on Sunday, April 6. 

The gathering was sparked by an application for a 22-bed HMO at the former Crompton Health Centre, which has since been refused by Oldham Council. But local activists say the application ‘stirred up a lot of frustration’ in the town, which has seen a steady loss of local amenities and businesses in the last years, while the number of HMOs has risen.

Shaw campaigner Beverley McManus told the LDRS ahead of the protest: “HMOs are flooding into our town and we’re not getting any investment. We can already see how the town has deteriorated.

“The townsfolk have had enough. We want regeneration.” 

For McManus, the major issue is infrastructure, with a worry that roads, local GPs and dentists will be overwhelmed. But locals say they also fear ‘an increase in anti-social behaviour’. 

Cars honked their horns as they passed more than 50 neighbours holding up signs that read ‘We don’t want your HMO’ in the weekend sunshine. A petition, signed by more than 1,300 people online, was also circulated in paper form. 

Shirley, who signed the petition online, commented: “Shaw is getting all our history deleted by using our buildings for unsuitable projects.” 

She added she ‘understood HMO users need a place to live’  but felt that Shaw was receiving ‘the lion’s share’ of applications. 

However, it’s difficult to determine exactly how many HMOs are in the town. Under current planning rules, HMOs with less than six inhabitants don’t require planning permission, and so aren’t registered with the council. 

Recently, local councillors in Oldham have called on the government to tighten restrictions, requiring all HMOs to apply for permission. 

Coun Elaine Taylor, the portfolio holder for housing, and coun Peter Davis put forward a motion to request support from the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. 

Taylor and Davis believe the total number in the borough has ‘almost doubled’ in the last five years, leading to ‘overcrowding and pressures on local services’.

The councillors noted that HMOs play an important role in providing crucial housing offers in the borough, which like the rest of the UK is facing a severe housing crisis. But their motion states the current rules ‘limit the ability of local authorities to manage their spread and ensure they are appropriately located and regulated’.

The council will vote on the proposal at a full council meeting on Wednesday, April 9.