THE owner of a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) in Thurrock, who turned garages into two extra rooms without planning permission, has been allowed to keep them.

The previously six-bedroom property at 6 Harper Close, Chafford Hundred was enlarged to eight bedrooms by converting two garages.

After approving a retrospective application Thurrock planning officers say the extra rooms will remain despite seven objections from neighbours.

Residents were concerned over limited parking, inadequate waste facilities and the "negative impact on the character of the locality."

Judy Hendrickse of Harper Close, said: "I object to planning permission to convert the tandem garage into two extra bedrooms. We already get them parking outside my house, as well as other neighbours. The whole street is already congested with cars as there are a lot of larger houses but little parking space.

"The noise it also creates from extra people means extra noise, usage of bins, using ours and our neighbours' bins because of the additional people in the house."

Sonia Ng, also of Harper Close, added: "There are already numerous cars parked outside 6 Harper, with some occasionally blocking other neighbours' driveways. This not only indicates a lack of sufficient parking for current residents but also poses challenges for larger vehicles, such as waste collection trucks, which struggle to navigate the area due to cars parking partially on the pavement.

"This situation forces pedestrians to either walk on the road or navigate around the vehicles, creating safety concerns. The properties on Harper Close were designed with families in mind, and the introduction of a large HMO would disrupt the neighbourhood's character."

Approving the application, planning officers said: "There are no in-principle objections to the proposal considering the proposed change of use would remain of a residential nature, subject to compliance with relevant Development Management policies.

"The HMO licencing team have also been consulted with respect to the scheme proposal and they raise no objection."

They added: "Given the limited alterations proposed, it is not considered that the proposal would result in a new or additional harm, such as an overlooking or overbearing impact upon the residential amenity of neighbouring properties that did not previously exist.

"Likewise, with regard to noise and intensification of the application site, the property as existing, has permission for six people and it is not considered that the addition of two extra persons would result in a detrimental noise impact demonstrably beyond and above that of the existing numbers of people."