TEIGNBRIDGE Council’s plans to convert a former guest house into a house of multiple occupation have horrified neighbours.

Residents living near Harewood House in Kingskerswell say they are ‘appalled’ at the proposals to turn the AirBNB into an HMO to be used by the council to house the homeless.

Teignbridge Council has bought the Torquay Road property, offering £500,000 subject to planning permission to turn it into an HMO.

Now a planning application has been lodged for a change of use from an AirBNB to an HMO.

The council says it is an opportunity to buy the property and use it as a supported accommodation hostel, reconfiguring the property to provide five

ensuite rooms and shared bathroom on the first floor with two further rooms on the ground floor and shared kitchen and dining.

Although the estimated costs would add a further £201,000 on top of the purchase price, the council says the plan would enable it to meet its obligations under homeless legislation and cut its current bill for bed and breakfast accommodation.

Kingskerswell Parish Council has asked for the application to be decided by the planning committee and says it was not made aware of the exact nature of the proposal.

District councillor Jane Taylor has asked for the matter to go to the committee.

One direct neighbour to the property said she was ‘appalled’ to learn the council had not only purchased the building in March 2025 for £550,000 without any form of community consultation, but also chose to ‘withhold this information from residents until July, nearly four months later’.

She argued that while residents were required to go through ‘rigorous processes and obtain proper planning permission for even modest changes to our homes’, it is ‘entirely unjust that the council, a body meant to serve and represent the community, can unilaterally impose such a drastic change without engaging with the very people who will suffer its consequences’.

Objectors claim the conversion of Harewood House into an HMO will have a ‘devastating impact’ on the local area which will be ‘irrevocably damaged’.

Many fear the conversion will lead to ‘issues’ seen at the existing HMO in Albany Street, Newton Abbot which have included anti-social behaviour.

One said: ‘We are being expected to have homeless households over our garden fence instead of high-income guests.

‘A guest house is, by its very nature, quiet and vacant most of the day, most of the year.

‘Homeless hostels are the reverse, noisy and fully occupied day, and night throughout the year.

‘The house will become a seven-bed dormitory.’

Concerns were also expressed about security, increased insurance costs, noise and disturbance.

One objector said: ‘This dramatic change of use will ruin the lives all living nearby.

‘What is worrying is that our elected council, our well-paid council staff are not at all concerned or show any remorse over the damage they are proposing to inflict on Kingskerswell and its residents.’

But one supporter said: ‘I truly can’t fathom why anybody would object, unless they were completely out of touch with the current economic climate and/or have no consideration for the difficulties young people today face.’

Teignbridge Council says its aim is to ‘reduce and mitigate costs’ of temporary accommodation and ‘provide a better service to our homeless clients’.

A spokesman for the council said: ‘Over recent years the council has seen the number of residents needing extra support with accommodation increasing, mainly due to the lack of affordable housing including for private rent.

‘We currently have two properties providing temporary accommodation for families, usually with children, but sometimes used for older people and those with disabilities. They are always at capacity, and the only other option is often to place people in B&B-style accommodation out of the area.

‘B&B provision is not only costly to the council, but also unsuitable for children to live in accommodation without cooking and laundry facilities.

‘Subject to planning permission, the purchase of Harewood House means we will be able to help more people with their housing needs and allow them to continue living locally, which is especially important for families.’