FIVE houses across Oxford could be made into shared homes for students or commuters, following hot on the heels of a discussion about a similar plan last week.

In the last week, four applications to Oxford City Council for planning permission have begun, which could allow the owners to turn residential homes into houses of multiple occupation, known as HMOs.

The five applications (two are made for neighbouring properties by one landlord) have appeared on the latest weekly planning list released by the city council.

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The proposals for HMOs include a home at 12 Windale Avenue, Blackbird Leys, two homes called Karam House and Fatima House at 84a and 84b Crescent Road, Temple Cowley, 56 St Luke’s Road, Cowley, and 21 Haynes Road in Marston.

Residents in the areas around the proposed shared homes will now be given a chance to say what they think of the plans.

HMOs are sometimes unpopular with people living on the streets where they are placed.

Last Tuesday, Oxford City Council’s east area planning committee discussed an application to turn 18 Addison Crescent, near Donnington Bridge Road, into a shared house.

Oxford Mail:

18 Addison Crescent

Residents of the street wrote to the council to express worries that there are already seven other HMOs on the street, and another one would add to noise and parking issues in the area.

But the application was unanimously approved by Oxford City Council.

Several public comments about 18 Addison Crescent were from further afield that Oxford, including one from France, leading to raised eyebrows from some councillors when discussing the application.

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Oxford has the 14th highest number of HMOs in England and Wales and 20 per cent of the city’s population is estimated to live in such accommodation, many of them students and commuters.

The city council has previously been praised for its tough stance on HMOs by the Oxford Civic Society, as landlords at these properties not only need to register, but must seek planning permission.

Oxford City Council requires all homes with three or more unrelated residents to be registered as an HMO.