A Hyndburn councillor has responded to rumours that a five-room bedsit is being converted into a halfway house.

A mother from Oswaldtwistle posted in a local Facebook group that a regular terraced house that has been under renovation for the past couple of months may be turned into a halfway house.

The Facebook user said the rumour had come from the men who were carrying out  work on the house. 

The worried mother wrote: “I won’t be as concerned if it’s an HMO for immigrants or refugees as someone else has suggested, but if it’s a halfway house I’ll move.

“I lived on a street with a halfway house before I had kids and I can’t do it with kids.

“I am trying to express my concern that this will be a halfway house, for men or women leaving prison.

"I have experience living across the road from a halfway house, and there was drug use, drug dealers, and several break-ins, and damage to cars.

“If this is a home for immigrants or refugees, I have no problem with it other than the fact they will clearly be living in TINY accommodation and I think five bedsits is too many to turn a house similar to my size into.”

The government contract with multi-national company Serco allows the contractors to manage properties and turn them into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) without the need for usual planning permissions.

The Serco managed HMOs are being used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees. However, a spokesperson has confirmed that Serco does not accomodate ex-prisoners.

Speaking about the raised concerns on Facebook, Councillor Judith Addison said that although no-one had given her the address of the property; from comments made “it would seem to be in the vicinity of Lord Street, Oswaldtwistle.”

Earlier this year, similar concerns were raised over houses being converted into bedsits without any warnings.

Councillor Addison dealt with a complaint received from a resident of Jubilee Street, which is a short-terraced street off Lord Street.

The complainant said that a mid-terraced, two bedroom house at 17 Jubilee Street was converted into four bedsits and the neighbouring residents, many of them long-standing owner/occupiers, hadn’t been informed about this and as far as they know, no permission of any kind had been obtained from Hyndburn Borough Council.

Councillor Addison emailed the council and received a response from the Planning Enforcement Officer’s Assistant “very quickly.”

It said: “I went out to the property earlier today and can confirm that the property is currently in the process of being converted to a four-bed four person HMO.

"The work is being carried out on behalf of Serco on behalf of the UK Government as a temporary space to accommodate refugees before they are provided with more permanent accommodation elsewhere.

“Based on the information that I was given, the conversion to a four-bed, four person HMO does not need planning permission and as such I propose to take no further action in respect of this case.”

Hyndburn Borough Council has been contacted for comment.