COUNCILLORS and residents are calling for a Winchester estate to have more protection to stop the spread of shared housing.

Residents in Winnall fear the area is becoming increasingly like Stanmore, which was plagued with issues to do with “studentification” – where landlords converted family homes into student accommodation.

It leads to increased litter, inconsiderate parking and anti-social behaviour.

In May, Stanmore had the protection of what is known as ‘Article 4’ put into place. This forces landlords to apply for planning permission before they convert family homes.

However councillors say that the problem has moved away from Stanmore and now more homes in the Winnall area are being turned into homes in multiple occupation (HMOs).

Residents in Fiona Close, Winnall, have drawn up their own petition to protect the area after a planning application was put in to convert one of the homes into shared housing.

Writing on behalf of the residents of Fiona Close to the city council, Debra Buscombe stated: “We are a mixed community of elderly and infirm, families with young babies, and individuals. The houses have not been built to withstand noise and we hear a great deal between walls.”

“The prospective HMO is to have a wall erected in the sitting room to provide extra bedrooms so it will go from being three bedroom one bathroom, to five bedroom one bathroom with a shared kitchen.

“We all have personal as well as communal reasons for being extremely anxious about this going ahead.

“From a community point we believe that it will destroy the close as no one will want to live around a student house (which is what the landlord intends), therefore the whole dynamics of the close will change.

“Also, some of those who have lived here longer, remember a previous HMO that they claim made their lives ‘hell’, and some of these residents are elderly and unable to move home should their lives be made difficult.”

It has been signed by nearly 30 residents and is supported by city councillor Rose Burns.

Cllr Burns said: “There are 20 houses in Fiona Close. The number of HMOs is likely to exceed 25 per cent in the road almost before Christmas (building work on number 11 took less than a month to complete). What the residents need is urgent action.”