An application to convert a house in Litherland into a four-bedroom HMO will be assessed in January 2026
16:57, 17 Dec 2025
Hundreds of people have signed a petition registering their opposition to a proposed new HMO on a Merseyside housing estate according to the area’s local councillor.
The planning application for the end-terrace in Litherland is from a London-based company, and was submitted on October 17. The applicant is seeking approval from Sefton Council for the change of use of 1A Fulwood Way, from a dwellinghouse to a four-bed House in Multiple Occupancy (HMO).
Fulwood Way is located in the council ward of St Oswald’s, represented by Cllr Joe Johnson, who said he is opposed to the application. In a post uploaded to his Facebook page this morning (December 17), he said: “I want to update residents on the HMO application for 1A Fulwood Way, which will now be decided at a full planning committee meeting on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. The meeting will take place in Bootle Town Hall at 6.30pm.
“Our community has spoken clearly and strongly. Hundreds of residents have signed petitions, and many more have sent objections directly to the council. I fully support every one of those objections and stand with residents in opposing this application.
“I was elected only 18 months ago to represent St Oswald (soon to be Netherton North), and my role as your local councillor is to listen to residents and speak up for them. On this issue, the message is clear: we do not want another HMO in our area. Too many have already been allowed, and this would only make things worse.
“Fulwood Way on the Pendle Estate is the wrong place for another HMO.”
The Liverpool ECHO previously reported on Sefton Council’s approval of an Immediate Article 4 Direction applicable to the whole of Sefton. This was implemented on October 15 and allows the local authority to remove permitted development rights from houses to Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
At the planning committee meeting (November 12), the council used the Article 4 directive to refuse an application for a HMO, even though it was recommended by the local authority’s planning department.
Referring to HMOs more generally and the impact in St Oswald’s ward in particular, Cllr Johnson added: “This is not about helping our community or making it better. It is about profit, and that profit should never come before the wellbeing of local families.
“I came out and opposed this application from the very start and was the only councillor to do so. I did this because my residents asked me to and I believe it’s the right thing to do for my community.
“I will speak at the planning committee meeting to make it clear that our area already has more than its fair share of HMOs and that residents do not want any more forced onto our estate. This application should be refused.”
The planning application for 1A Fulwood Way has been submitted and the consultation phase has been completed. This means the proposals have yet to be scrutinised by the council’s planning committee, and no decision has been made on the proposal.