A property firm has been denied a HMO licence for a Hillhead home opposite a B&B used to house homeless people after fed-up neighbours complained about “off the scale” anti-social behaviour.
Residents living around Hillhead Street told Glasgow’s licensing committee there are “daily fights, shouting, drug dealing, empty alcohol bottles and drug paraphernalia left in the streets and our gardens”.
Purewal Properties Ltd, a Newton Mearns firm, requested a HMO licence — which is needed to rent a property to three or more people who are not related — for 42 Hillhead Street, across the road from the Chez Nous guest house.
Cllr Ken Andrew, SNP, who represents Hillhead, suggested the property is an “overspill” for Chez Nous — which is used by the council as homeless accommodation.
A representative for Purewal said the company was not applying for “expansion of emergency accommodation”. But he added there could be tenancy agreements with people “who came from Chez Nous”.
More than 20 objections to the licence application were received.
One of the objectors said there has been an “increase in anti-social behaviour from poorly-managed HMO student accommodation and the use of B&Bs as emergency homeless accommodation has become unbearable to live with”.
“There is a daily police presence and ambulances parked outside, which is causing stress for the residents,” she added. “There are daily fights, shouting, drug dealing, empty alcohol bottles and drug paraphernalia left in the streets and our gardens, where our children play.”
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Cllr Andrew said: “The level of anti-social behaviour on Hillhead Street and adjoining streets… is quite frankly off the scale.
“My issue, though, with potentially granting this property a HMO licence is Chez Nous… has a permanent 24/7 social work presence.
“To then use a property across the road, at number 42, as overspill, will not have a 24/7 presence, and so those individuals will not be monitored.”
Another objector said the property is close to schools and there have been “altercations with schoolchildren, some of the residents attempt to take their lunch money, use their mobile phones”.
“While it’s important that there should be space for people who are vulnerable… the sheer volume of residents at Chez Nous has created a real imbalance in our community,” she added.
One woman said she sees “residents go back and forward” between the guest house and the property. She reported “visible drug use in the street”.
“My children walked past two people cooking up in the lane on their way home from school the other day,” she added.
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Purewal’s representative said two people currently live at 42 Hillhead Street and a HMO licence would allow another two tenants to move in.
“While the applicant also owns Chez Nous, this application is not for expansion of emergency accommodation,” he said. “There is a misconception in the objections because the overwhelming majority… assume that 42 Hillhead Street will function as Chez Nous.”
He added the company “would like to have the ability to provide tenancy agreements to well-behaved tenants who came from Chez Nous”.
The representative said there was “no police, ambulance or nuisance record” for 42 Hillhead Street and concerns around anti-social behaviour and drug use were not “directly linked” to that property.
“I was told by my client that Chez Nous staff routinely clean the street, collect litter, address any disturbance immediately,” he said, adding the B&B has compensated residents for “any damage caused by guests”.
“Blaming Chez Nous for all anti-social behaviour is just not correct. Chez Nous actually contributes to the city by providing emergency housing for local Scottish homeless persons.”
Cllr Alex Wilson, SNP, who chairs the licensing committee, stressed councillors were considering an application for 42 Hillhead Street, not Chez Nous.
The committee decided to refuse the application at a meeting last week, with Bailie Hanif Raja recording his dissent with the ruling.
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