application for planning permission for conversion into flats - how to best object.

Hi,

our neighbour has applied for planning permission to convert a 5 bed family home into 3 flats (2x 3 bed and 1 studio). He's currently working on the property and is currently building a 20m2 extension plus a 60m2 outbuilding under permitted development. The 3 flats do not include the outbuilding, but we've got the suspicion that he will find a way of renting it out.

We've had loads of issues with the landlord in the past. The house was overoccupied (17 people sharing with antisocial behaviour), issues with landlord's building works (unsafe removal of asbestos, putting his drainage on our land repeatedly until we got an injunction from the court, building site left unsecured etc etc) however he always a kind of managed to 'pull a fast one'.

We're in a conservation area and a family protection area. Our road (Summerhill Rd) is a historically renown road. The landlord argues that the house looks 'tired' and needs renovation, but in fact if looks far worse since the current landlord bought it (2 smashed windows that have been unsecured for ages, forecourt looks utterly disgusting sprewn with rubbish and building materials).

The landlord argues that by putting in a 'family unit' on the ground floor he fulfills the Family Protection Area requirement. Does anyone have experience with this? And what the minimum requirements are in regards to space? We couldn't find any clear guidance on the Haringey website. The 'Family Unit' contains 2 8m2  bedrooms and one double room. The bathroom is tiny - about 4m2 incl toilet.

The landlord also points out that only 12% of our road are houses in multiple occupancy and the council's target is to keep it under 20% (according to council tax records), so our road would be well under. In fact we've had loads of building of small flats recently, not just in our road but also behind us on Dorset Road. Is there any way we could check this (apart from counting)?

And would be occupier of the family unit with access to the garden be able to use the outbuilding to sleep in? It was created as a 'gym', but considering that the owner went through a lot of effort to put in water supply, the sheer size of it and the layout very much lets us think it has been built for residential use. We know he's not allowed to let it out separately, but letting it in conjunction with a flat might be a way around this.

We very much appreciate any advice how to best tackle this. Obviously we'll get as many neighbours together as possible to object.