None of us are very keen on “change” when we first hear that it’s heading our way – it never ends well, or so we think.

Such as a neighbour getting up to something with a surprise new project.

To prove my point, I was watching an episode of Everwood on Netflix the other day – a homely tale of life in a pleasant small town in Colorado.

A man decided to start building a lighthouse in his back garden – as you do – and an apoplectic neighbour fell off a wall trying to get a closer look.

Now let’s look at the fuss proposals for a former guesthouse in Aberdeen have caused.

Over-transforming it into an HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) which tied neighbours in MKA (Multiple Knots of Anxiety).

It’s easy to see why.

HMOs carry certain connotations of bad behaviour or excessive disruption by their tenants, and mental suffering for neighbours.

A sweeping generalisation, you might think.

Not in every case, of course, but enough to raise concerns.

Especially when the word “multiple” doesn’t just apply to the number of tenants, but a large concentration of HMO properties clustered together in one area – as has happened in Aberdeen hotspots – to the detriment of local........

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