Falkirk Council: Residents don't want former Grangemouth pub The Ellwyn to become shared house

A proposal has been put forward to transform the Ellwyn pub in Grangemouth, which closed after a string of reports about anti-social behaviour, into a house.

But Marion Randalls, who lives nearby, said the area was already “a dumping ground” for people with drink and drug problems, and urged councillors to “reach out and listen to residents”.

She was speaking as Falkirk Council’s planning committee met on Wednesday to consider an application from the owner of the Ellwyn to use the now vacant upper floor of building as a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO). As well as the 16 bedrooms, the house at 95 Newlands Road would have a communal kitchen, living area, bathrooms and laundry provision.

Mrs Randalls told members that she was speaking for several neighbours who couldn’t attend but who are concerned that an HMO will bring residents who will only be there for a short time.

She said: “People in Grangemouth do not want a transient community – they would like people to move to the town and set up home to work to contribute to the community. There are already nine HMOs in Grangemouth – they are not fully utilised and we don’t feel there is a need for another, especially in highly residential, deprivation-stricken area.”

“Newlands area is one of the worst places in Grangemouth for poverty, especially for children, and we feel that this may make it worse. We are already a dumping ground for people with additional barriers, for example with drink and drugs, and we see this on a daily basis.”

Ms Randalls said that her own research had shown that most contract workers stay in hotels where they don’t have to cook and clean.

“So, if this isn’t going to be used for contractors, who is going to be in it? It could be anybody,” she said, adding there are also concerns about the shortage of parking spaces and that there could be an increase in litter, which is already a problem.

The applicant, Amran Ali, currently owns a shop that is run from the premises and has planning permission in place to open another two shops and a hot food takeaway on the ground floor.

But his agent, Inderpal Gill, said that developing the new businesses would only be financially viable if the upper floor was let as an HMO.

Mr Gill said his client’s plan was to have long-term contracts with local companies to house their workers and he assured the community it would not be for “illegal immigrants”, as one of the objections had suggested.

Ms Randalls said that members of the community had concerns about an HMO would be managed, given the history of the Ellwyn, which lost its licence for five months in 2020 after reports of crime and disorder and breaches of Covid rules.

“We already suffer from lots of anti-social behaviour and we feel this will make it worse,” she said.

Members of the committee were told that concerns about the behaviour of future tenants was not a matter for the planning committee and any HMO would also have to get a licence in order to operate.

Convener Billy Buchanan said in order to make a decision, councillors should go to visit the site, which was agreed.