A Birmingham resident has expressed frustration over what she describes as an 'unlawful' house of multiple occupancy (HMO) conversion near her home, forcing her to wear headphones to cope with the noise.
Ongoing Disturbance
Lorraine Taylor, a resident of Southern Road in Ward End, said construction work began on a nearby property last summer. A sub-contractor informed her that the terraced house was being converted into a six-bedroom HMO. After living in the area for 40 years, Lorraine says the constant drilling and banging has driven her to despair.
She told BirminghamLive: "I came home from work one day and scaffolding had appeared. I tried to raise concerns with the contractor but he said he didn't speak English. However, in October, he knocked on my door and was perfectly fluent."
Lorraine added that the workers' digging caused a water supply issue affecting six houses, leaving them without running water. Despite the contractor's error, he asked residents to contact Severn Trent to resolve the problem.
Council Investigation
Lorraine contacted local councillor Bushra Bi about the conversion, but BirminghamLive was unable to reach Ms Bi, who did not stand in the recent council elections. Birmingham City Council confirmed it is investigating the redevelopment scheme after concerns were raised but declined to comment further.
Lorraine said: "Work lasts until 9pm some nights, and I have to put headphones on to deal with the drilling and banging. I appreciate you can't drill without noise, but it's not right. It's an eyesore, and it's hard to even park on the road now. I feel like the council is turning a blind eye to this. I'm having to fight, and it's draining me."
