Controversial plans to allow a property in Netherfield to be converted into an HMO have been allowed by councillors last night (September 7) who were given the chance to reject the scheme.

Plans were submitted to change a property on Chandos Street into a seven-bedroomed HMO and were discussed at Gedling Borough Council’s Planning Committee meeting at the Civic Centre in Arnold.

There were eight votes for the application and 7 against.

During the planning meeting at the Civic Centre in Arnold yesterday (September 6) Rae Murphy spoke on behalf of JBM Property Management, who put in the request to create an HMO at 49 Chandos Street in the town.

She told the committee: “The argument regarding too many HMOs in Netherfield is very subjective and there are no real facts to support this.

“There are seven HMOs in the whole of Netherfield which is equivalent to 0.24%. It seems ridiculous to say the area has too many types of this property. If this application was accepted, it would go to 0.27%. I believe this is the reason why the Article 4 direction to restrict permitted development to change HMOs did not come in during the meeting in April 2022.

“Regardless of whether this application is approved, this house will become a six bed HMO under permitted development rights. There is a clear need for this type of accommodation in the area and in comparison to a six to seven bed, I do not believe one extra bedroom to cause any more issues.”

She added: “This property alone would cater for seven single people who were the otherwise struggle to finance and find a rental property small enough for them.

“Based on all the reasons above, should this application be refused today we will be going to appeal. It is likely that due to the reasons stated we will be granted planning permission. This is because the independent body looks at everything that that particular area needs.

“If the application is not approved today, we will this time be putting in the appeal that we are to be reimbursed by the council for the additional costs of this.”

Councillor David Ellis said that while he didn’t appreciate ‘the threats’ from the guest speaker, he supported the proposal.

He said: “I think on balance I will be supporting the recommendation.

“I suppose the thing that reassures me is that this HMO will need to be licensed, so they will need a better relationship with the council and we’ll be able to give some oversight and supervision to this operation.”

But Councillor Mike Adams raised concerns around parking if the HMO was permitted.

He said: There’s not enough space on that road to park seven potential people with vehicles

“Victorian streets, like the ones in Netherfield, are always difficult for parking – and this one particularly is incredibly full all of the time.”

But despite concerns the plans were given the green light.

Justin Ingrey, who submitted the plans, celebrated with a post on Facebook.

He wrote: This will now be a seven bedroom HMO for seven working professionals; seven people that may not be able to afford a full house, pay all the utility costs and potential maintenance.

“We are taking away one family house – yes, but we are providing a house for seven separate people which is a great feeling as we know how much our tenants enjoy being in our accommodation.”

Three thieves who brazenly stole high-value Lego kits and kids toys from a B&M stores in Netherfield have been warned they face jail if they reoffend.

A manhunt was launched after stores the store at Victoria Retail Park, along with shops in Worksop and Mansfield were targeted in the space of two days – with over £4,000 worth of Lego sets taken in total.

On each occasion, CCTV showed three men wearing baseball caps entering the store during opening hours and taking reusable shopping bags, before filling them up with Lego products and walking out without paying.

They were caught when a police officer spotted a vehicle full of toys in the Newark area on Wednesday, August 31.

Checks found the vehicle was wanted in connection with the Lego thefts and so a team of officers stopped the vehicle as it travelled along the A17.

All three male occupants were then arrested and later charged with three counts of theft.

Conlon McDonagh, 22, of Gregory Road, Southall, Ealing; Tom McDonagh, 22, of Greenwood Avenue, Enfield; and Patrick Ward, 22, of Gregory Road, Southall pleaded guilty to all the charges after appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 2 September 2022.

The court heard the first theft took place at the B&M store in Bridge Place, Worksop, at around 5pm on Monday 29 August. One of the men distracted staff while the other two stole nearly £650 worth of Lego from the shelves.

At 8pm on the same evening, the trio targeted the B&M store in Baums Lane, Mansfield, filling up four large bags with Lego products worth approximately £1,000 before leaving without paying.

The next day, they went even further and took almost £3,000 worth of Lego products and toys from the B&M store at Victoria Retail Park in Netherfield. On this occasion, a shop assistant challenged them as they were leaving. One of thieves swore at her before they all fled in a car.

Having been caught the following day, the men were put before the courts and were each jailed for 18 weeks, suspended for 12 months. It means they must not commit any further offences in order to stay out of prison.

The trio were also banned from entering any B&M store in England and Wales for a year.

Sergeant Antony Coleman, who oversaw the investigation, said: “Thanks to the instincts of the patrolling officers whose suspicions were aroused by the considerable amount of Lego in the vehicle, these brazen thieves were all swiftly caught.

“They travelled to Nottinghamshire to commit these high-value thefts, thinking they could get away with it. They were wrong.

“Due to the dedication and professional work of the force’s Prisoner Handling Team, the courts have been able to deal with the matter in a timely manner.

“We continue to treat shop thefts seriously and our proactive work to combat this issue is ongoing including targeted operations in hot-spot areas, increased patrols and working closely with businesses and local authorities to reduce retail crime.”