PLANS to turn a Winchester home into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) have been thrown out.

The applicant, listed as Andrew Smith and Son, had been seeking to turn it into a five-bedroom HMO, but altered the plans to four following objections.

One of those to object was Fiona Close resident Debra Buscombe.

Mrs Buscombe wrote to Winchester City Council planners to say: "Fiona Close is a small close with houses in close proximity. Parking is an on-going problem and since we have had two HMO's in the close, this has become far worse.

"I live next door to a HMO and the gardens are a complete mess, with the landlord doing nothing to keep them in repair. "We protested against the HMOs... it seems we still have to fight to stop this onslaught.

"These houses were not built to make landlords rich, they were built to be family homes, a community where everyone looks out for each other and feels safe.

"It is starting to feel like we are living in an inner city ghetto!"

Refusing the application, city council planning officer Catherine Watson said: "The proposed conversion of a four-bedroom C3 dwellinghouse to a four-bed C4 HMO is considered to cause significant harm to the amenities of the residents of Fiona Close by the intensification of the use and insufficient provision for on-site parking. "It will therefore harm the quiet residential character of the cul-de-sac and add to the parking pressures in the area to the detriment of other road users."