Plan for new Aberdeen student flat rejected amid fears area will become 'entirely HMOs'

Council chiefs have ruled that an Aberdeen flat cannot be used to house multiple students as the area has too many houses in multiple occupation (HMO).

Brick Lane Realty Ltd wanted to turn the first floor flat of a property on Elmfield Avenue into digs for four university students.

The three-storey granite building was built back in the 19th century and has four bedrooms, a living room and kitchen as well as a communal garden.

However, the plan raised concerns among city council planners due to the abundance of HMOs in the area.

The top floor of the same building currently has permission to operate as an HMO for up to three people and there are a further 21 HMOs on Elmfield Avenue.

Meanwhile, HMOs make up just over 15% of nearby Froghall, Powis and Sunnybank.

The Aberdeen-based landlord behind the proposal said they were “actively involved” in the day-to-day management of their properties.

They claimed the occupants were “likely to be students” and would “integrate well within established residential areas”.

Brick Lane Realty also said that they wanted the flat to become a stable household so tenants would treat the property as a home rather than a temporary base.

The building had been sitting empty before the firm took ownership of it, so they argued that bringing it back into use was a positive move.

In planning documents, the firm said the HMO application was a “positive and conscientious use of the property” and would help to “sustain the long-term amenity of the neighbourhood”.

However, council planners rejected the plan as they believed it would “exacerbate an existing overprovision” of HMOs in the area.

As of 2023, there were 1,008 licensed HMOs within the city.

The vast majority of these are located in the AB24 postcode, which covers Old Aberdeen, Woodside, Tillydrone, Seaton and Sunnybank.

Planners also noted that having a large number of HMOs in the same area can create a number of issues and concerns.

This can include buildings deteriorating due to a lack of investment by absentee landlords and no sense of community due to a “constant circulation of temporary tenants”.

They say that having a large number of people live in the same area can place increasing demand on services and parking.

And, they claimed the overprovision of HMOs would “erode the established and historic residential character” of the area.

The application recently went before the city council’s local review body in a bid to overturn the refusal.

But committee convener councillor Ciarán McRae backed the planners’ decision on the grounds of overprovision.

He said: “I do accept it’s next to the university but we need to watch that we don’t flip from residential street to a street of entirely HMOs here.”

His fellow board members unanimously agreed and the application was rejected.