The district council has granted planning permission for three separate Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in Mansfield, including the conversion of a long-closed town-centre bar into ground-floor shops with a six-bed HMO above.
What was approved
Councillors agreed to a scheme at Cohen’s Corner, 37–39 Church Street, where the former bar will be split at ground-floor level into two smaller commercial units and the upper floors converted into a six-bedroom HMO. The proposals also include the partial demolition of the rear to create a courtyard and a two-storey extension at the back of the building. Applicants say the front elevation will remain the same apart from new signage.
In separate decisions, permission was also given to increase the occupancy of a terraced house at 13 Princes Street from a six-bedroom HMO to a ten-person HMO, and to convert 25 Gladstone Street into a five-bedroom HMO.
| Address | Existing | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| 37–39 Church Street (Cohen’s Corner) | Former bar | Shops + 6-bed HMO |
| 13 Princes Street | Six-bed HMO | Ten-person HMO |
| 25 Gladstone Street | Three-bed house | Five-bed HMO |
Local concerns and political backdrop
The approvals come amid wider unease about the spread of HMOs in parts of Mansfield. Local residents and some councillors have discussed whether there are already too many shared houses in certain streets and whether the council should take action to limit further conversions.
“Residents on roads with HMOs on were experiencing a growing feeling that they have lost their say on what happens on their own street,”
Those words were raised in Parliament by Mansfield’s MP, reflecting complaints often cited by neighbours: overflowing bins, cars blocking pavements and short-term occupiers who may not be invested in the area.
What the approved schemes involve for neighbours
The Church Street project will provide six individual double bedrooms, each with an en-suite, while occupants would share a single combined kitchen and living area. The Princes Street change increases the permitted number of residents to ten; the Gladstone Street plan changes a three-bedroom home into a five-bedroom shared house.
- Mixed use change: Church Street keeps retail at ground-floor level and adds residential use above.
- Higher occupancy: Princes Street moves from six to ten occupants.
- Conversion from family home: Gladstone Street becomes a five-bed HMO from a three-bed house.
Council planning officers granted the applications after considering the submitted designs and internal alterations. Many of the changes proposed are internal; applicants assert external fronts will remain largely unchanged apart from signage, especially in the Church Street scheme.
Why this matters for Mansfield
The decisions are likely to feed into an ongoing local conversation about the balance of housing types in neighbourhoods close to the town centre and stadium. Changes that increase occupancy can affect demand for on-street parking, waste collection and local services — issues often highlighted by residents living near HMOs.
Some Mansfield councillors have been meeting across party lines to explore whether legal tools could be used to control the concentration of HMOs. Any future policy change would need to go through formal consultation and planning processes before it could alter how many HMOs are permitted in particular streets.
For now, the three permissions stand and residents in the affected streets will see building work and changes in occupation levels over coming months as owners implement the approved plans.
