PLANS for a house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Merthyr Tydfil which have been objected to by hundreds are due for a decision.
A decision on an application from D2 Propco Limited for a HMO for a maximum of five people on Ninth Avenue in the Galon Uchaf area was deferred in June for a site visit.
Councillor David Isaac had requested the application be decided by the planning committee to consider the concerns raised by residents, which included the potential impact on the character of the area, residential amenity and highway safety.
No physical alterations are proposed to the outside of the property but internal changes are proposed, involving a partition to split the living room and provide an extra bedroom on the ground floor to enable the house to accommodate five bedrooms for five people, with a communal kitchen area, bathroom and living/dining room.
A cycle store is proposed for the garden area and would have room for five bikes. A bird box and a bat box are also proposed as “biodiversity enhancements.”
There have been 48 individual letters of objection to the application received by the council and three petitions with a total of 425 signatures.
The reasons for the objections include that it is an “unsuitable location,” the impact upon parking and highway safety, that it is an “over intensification of use,” that it is “detrimental” to the community, concerns over safety and well-being, concerns over anti-social behaviour and criminal behaviour, the devaluation of properties and that it is close to a school, nursery and children’s playing fields.
But planning officers have recommended it be approved, saying: “The proposal would provide much needed housing of an affordable nature in a time of economic hardship. ”
It is considered the property is of a sufficient scale to provide accommodation for five people without resulting in an overdevelopment/intensification of the site, the report said.
In respect of sustainability, the report said that the application site is within close proximity to local amenities which future occupiers would be able to access via sustainable modes of transport.
It said there are no other HMOs in this area so it is not considered it would have any significant change to the character of the area that would warrant concern.
The report said no physical alterations requiring planning consent are proposed and therefore no difference would be felt by neighbouring occupiers.
It said the use would remain as residential with the number of occupiers proposed being no more than five so this is not considered to result in an over-intensification of the use or to have any unacceptable adverse impact upon the living conditions of neighbouring occupiers.
The report added the existing parking provision would be improved by the addition of one off-street parking space to be provided to the rear of the property. It said the change in use would not need a greater amount of parking than the existing use.
The head of engineering and highways has raised no objection. But they acknowledged the proposal would result in a “betterment” compared to the existing situation.
The application is due to go before Merthyr Tydfil’s planning committee on Wednesday, September 11.
