Council defends decision to approve HMO which had twice previously been refused

The former Station Tavern had already been converted for housing prior to winning permission last month, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

HMO postboxes were already installed at The Station Tavern in March — HMO letter boxes were already installed at The Station Tavern in March

Enfield Council does not see “any errors requiring corrective action” after granting permission for a house in multiple occupation (HMO) that appears to have flouted planning rules.

Last month an application to convert the former Station Tavern pub next to Brimsdown Station was granted “part retrospective” approval by the council to operate as a HMO – after two previous applications failed.

The granted application gives permission, backdated to April this year, for the property to be used as an HMO. The local authority’s decision comes despite evidence suggesting the property was being used as a HMO before this date.

When the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the site in March – one month before the start of the now-approved date – there were already signs of people living there, including a collection of letter boxes next to the property with a sign which said: “Letters here for HMO rooms”.

After concerns were raised last October that the building was being converted into a HMO without permission, the council confirmed it was investigating to “determine the appropriate next steps,” adding it was “unable to provide any further information as this property relates to a live investigation”.

Following the visit in March, the LDRS asked the council for an update on its investigation. At the time a spokesperson stated that “planning enforcement cases can take time to progress, and this site is subject to many investigations”.

The spokesperson also claimed the council was ensuring its investigation was “thorough and robust” with all evidence “fully considered” before the “most appropriate course of action” would be decided.

Citing the case as a “current and ongoing investigation” the local authority said it was “unable to comment further”.

The LDRS approached the council again this month, following the news of its recent decision to grant retrospective planning permission for the property’s use as an HMO.

The council was asked if it had completed its investigation and, if so, if it would share any details of its conclusions. It was also asked why the new application had been approved.

A spokesperson said: “Retrospective development must be judged on planning merits rather than on whether works started before permission was granted.

“We judged the application against planning policy and found it acceptable. We do not consider there to be any errors requiring corrective action.”

The retrospective planning application was granted on behalf of senior officer Karen Page, the council’s head of planning and building control, and comes with extensive planning conditions.

Among the conditions is a stipulation that a verification report proving that approved drainage and flood risk mitigation measures have been fully implemented on the site by Thursday, 23rd July.

If this report is not submitted and confirmed in writing by the deadline then the applicant’s permission to use the property as an HMO should, in theory, “cease until such time as the verification report is approved”.

The applicant for the HMO is named only as ‘Mr Tepe’, the same surname as the applicant behind a previously proposed tower block, dubbed ‘Tepe Tower’, on the site of the pub.

This scheme was refused by councillors at the fourth time of asking in November 2024 after planning officers described it as “unsafe” and spent over two years repeatedly urging the planning committee to reject it.

The HMO application can be viewed on the council’s planning portal using reference 26/01472/FUL.

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