# 124 Bexley Road, Erith (7-person HMO)

- **Decision:** dismissed, 3 September 2026
- **Decided by:** Planning Inspector: P D Sedgwick
- **Authority:** Bexley (London)
- **Appeal reference:** 6010832
- **Application reference:** 26/00587/FUL
- **Procedure:** written-representations
- **Development:** Roof enlargement and change of use from dwelling to 7-person sui generis HMO
- **Site context:** inside-settlement
- **Green Belt:** no
- **Framework applied:** No Framework version cited
- **Determinative policies:** Bexley LP DP11
- **Development plan policies:** Bexley Local Plan 2023 DP11, London Plan D13, D14
- **Main issues:** neighbour noise and disturbance
- **Tags:** hmo, fallback, tier-2

## Summary
A seven-person HMO in Erith was dismissed for noise and disturbance to neighbours, even against a real-prospect fallback of a six-person HMO (DL ¶8-10).

## What made the difference
The inspector found the seventh occupant produced a cumulative increase "significantly over and above" the current position (DL ¶10).

## Policy findings
- **P3: fail.** noise and disturbance from 7 occupants substantially exceeds a family household; the 6-person HMO fallback was given significant weight but the extra occupant tipped the balance (DL 5-10)

## Key facts
- Extant permissions for a 6-person HMO given significant weight as a fallback (DL 10)
- Framework not cited

## Sources
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6010832
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/published-document/efd25a2b-333d-4692-820c-8ca8686b694f

---

Source: https://planningdistilled.org/research/england/nppf-navigator/decisions/PINS-6010832.html

A summary of a public planning decision, written from the decision letter. Not legal advice. © Planning Distilled. Released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): share and adapt freely, with credit to Planning Distilled. Quotations from decision letters, plans and the Framework remain the copyright of their publishers.