A CHANNEL 4 star has threatened to rent out his large property to migrants or prisoners if his planning application is challenged.
Reuben Wincott, who found fame on the reality TV show Handcuffed, applied to redevelop his HMO to house eight people in Hampshire.
But locals who challenged the planning application are now facing threats from Wincott to turn it into a home for migrants and freshly released prisoners.
Chris Miles, who lives next door to the property with his wife, said: “It’s not like we’re opposed to some work being done on the place to make it a couple of flats, that’s fine.
“I think our main concern was you’re doing this in a street which is fully congested with cars, and it’s a family street, it has been since we moved here in 2003.”
Wincott first stepped into the spotlight with his appearance on Jonathan Ross‘s Channel 4 reality TV show, Handcuffed.
He was described by Ross on the show as an “alpha male” and depicted on the screen as a “gym-buff property developer”.
The 30-year-old’s property in Winchester, Hampshire, has already got approval to house six people.
But he has now sent an application to Eastleigh Borough Council to increase that number to eight occupants.
Following planning application, neighbours have accused Wincott of threatening to house migrants or prisoners if they do not stop challenging it.
The application has received 27 objections and has led to a petition set up by neighbours who oppose the plan.
Mr Wincott allegedly said to one neighbour in a WhatsApp message: “Our business model is professional HMOs – which is what archers will be.
“However, Please bear in mind. We also do migrant HMOs. Temporary accommodation for MOJ (people who [are] fresh out of prison).
“My property can easily be turned into this and make even more money than professional.
“The worse this situation gets. I’ll have no choice, but to scrap the high end development, and do low end low budget high risk tennanted [sic] stock.”
He then went on to add in another message: “As stated before, our strategy for archers is high end HMO.
“However we can easily rent this to far less suitable members of society.
“This is not a threat. This is a reminder of how it is essential to cooperate.”
Simon Winwood, who lives on the ground-floor flat opposite the property, said: “When you’re threatening to put people out of prison in there and the less desirables… In summer, I want to have the windows open.”
Another objector to the planning application, Lily Metcalf, said: “An 8 person HMO is more like a small hotel/boarding house so completely changes the nature of this area.
“We need family homes and one reason that this is such a well maintained and cared for part of Eastleigh is proximity to schools, station, town etc make it an appealing prospect for families (including those needing to commute).
“We are proud of the family-oriented community focused nature of this area established over decades.”
In response to the claim that he threatened neighbours, Wincott said: “I was just giving them the reality that if they continue to keep threatening us and will not let us work, then we will have no choice but to cancel the high-end development because of the time schedules, because of the amount of money we will have to spend.
“The government doesn’t build enough houses. It’s SME developers like myself, who go through all of this heartache, headache, financial risk, to be able to provide high end accommodation.”
A meeting to discuss the application by the council is set to take place on March 24.
