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24/00308/FUL Change of use of vacant Care Home (Use Class C2) to House in Multiple Occupation (Sui Generis) incorporating minor external alterations

22/01786/FUL Change of use of vacant Care Home (Use Class C2) to House in Multiple Occupation (Sui Generis) involving minor external alterations

24/00107/FUL Erection of three storey building comprising 9 residential flats (6 x 2 bedroom and 3 x 3 bedroom) together with alterations to vehicular access, landscaping and associated works, following demolition of existing dwelling.

Another chapter in the long-running saga of this site.

Following rejection of the initial proposal for 9 flats and the subsequent refusal of an application to convert to a 7-unit House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), the latest application is for a more extreme HMO of 13 units within the same basic footprint of the existing building.

Using the “Comments” facility on the EEBC Planning website, the Society objected to the latest proposal as set out below:-

“Formerly a 13 bed care home now applied for a 13 bed HMO. There cannot be an automatic follow on assumption of suitability in basically the same building. Care home residents are sedentary spending most of the time in bed or sitting. HMO residents are fitter, active would need more internal space as well as having external mobility including likely comings and goings at unsocial hours with potential noise and disturbance to the locality and expectancy of requiring car parking and cycle parking.

The fact that an application, only decided a few months ago for a 7 bed HMO, was refused, it must follow that a 13 bed HMO is excessive with a high possibility of friction between residents in a confined space. For the reasons stated for refusal of application 23/00308/FUL, they must remain for this more intensive proposal.”

See our previous letter regarding the original application for flats here.