Wigan: Hundreds protest plan to turn pub into 15-bed home

Hundreds of people have protested against a town center pub being turned into a 15-bed shared house.

Angry residents rallied outside the Crispin Arms in the Scholes area of ​​Wigan, saying they feared an increase in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) would lead to anti-social behaviour.

Remko Holdings Ltd applied to redevelop the pub, which became vacant last year, to “help address demand for housing and reduce pressure to develop greenfield and greenbelt areas”.

But residents like Paige Dickinson said many vulnerable people living in the area are “worried about what’s going to happen”.

Ex-serviceman Steven Anderson said: “These HMO properties are not made available to people on the housing waiting list.”

The 66-year-old told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he was facing eviction after being served with a Section 21 notice and claimed he would soon be homeless.

“Properties like this will be for others but me.”

Mrs Dickinson, 57, said there were already problems with anti-social behavior around the Crispin Arms, which she feared would worsen if the HMO plans went ahead.

Her daughter Jacqueline, 31, said what residents “really need here is some kind of mini-store … or a building that could be used by the community.”

Sharon Poole, 55, said she feared the area was being “ghettoised”.

There are currently 183 licensed HMOs with five or more tenants making up more than one household and sharing a bathroom and kitchen in Wigan, according to the city’s register of such properties.

A Wigan Council representative said the authority had received the planning application, adding that residents could add comments online.

A decision is to be made “in due course”, they added.

The BBC asked Remko Holdings Ltd for a response.