A DECISION on a proposed HMO conversion in the St Julian’s area of Newport has been delayed.
The city council’s planning committee has postponed a meeting to debate applicant Thomas Stratton’s plans to convert 176 Caerleon Road into a five-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO).
A supporting statement for the application, by planning agent Lloyd Jones, of LRJ Planning Ltd, argues the property is “located within a highly sustainable, built up residential area and would provide a mix of housing which is required and meet the needs of the community”.
HMOs are typically properties for single, unrelated adults who have their own bedrooms but share other communal spaces such as kitchens or living rooms.
Councils often place restrictions on how many HMOs can exist in one area, because such properties can intensify pressures on services.
In this case, officers have recommended planning permission be granted, despite objections from 22 neighbours and two ward councillors.
The neighbours’ objections largely centre on parking concerns, with one Caerleon Road resident describing the street as a “nightmare to park on already”.
Others described the area’s parking situation as “dire” and “saturated”, and argued the extra spaces required by a HMO’s prospective residents would worsen things.
A report shows a council highways officer disputed the findings of a parking assessment carried out as part of the application process, which showed 29 spaces were available within 200 metres of the property.
The officer said that survey had “not been conducted properly”, but said he could not object to the HMO on parking grounds because roads in the area “do appear to have capacity” for the expected extra vehicles.
Planning officers, in their report, also said demand for parking at HMOs is “not considered to be a robust reason for refusing planning permission even though the potential for on-road parking demand is acknowledged”.
They explained several recent cases, relating to lack of parking for proposed HMOs, had all been dismissed at appeal.
Ward councillors Paul Bright and Phil Hourahine, in their objections to the plans, raised their own parking and traffic concerns.
They also objected based on the proposed conversion’s impact on the character of the local area, a perceived “overconcentration of HMOs”, impact on community cohesion and “insufficient justification for sustainable development”.
Planning officers said the property was already a dwelling in a “highly sustainable location”, and said if the proposals were approved the proportion of HMOs within 50 metres would still not exceed the 10% threshold.
The planners concluded it “cannot be shown the proposal would create an overconcentration of HMOs in the area which would change the character of the neighbourhood or create an imbalance in the housing stock”.
The committee is now expected to discuss the application at a future meeting.
