Plans submitted to convert Northampton care home into HiMO for 'new way of co-living' including cinema and gym

A 28-person care home in Northampton could become a “sui generis HiMO” for 25 people as plans have been submitted to convert the building.

Glenside Residential Care Home in Weedon Road has been identified as a suitable site for a “luxury” co-living HiMO development by applicant Archways Real Estate and LG Properties.

The building’s conversion is being billed as “a new way of co-living”.

With a target audience aimed at “professionals, namely work placement students, key workers of the hospital or individuals between relationships”, the new lodgings will promote a co-living model that the company says is becoming more popular, post-pandemic, for individuals due to the “social aspect and flexible lifestyle”.

According to the planning document: “Strong interior design is used to foster micro communities within the household and tenants benefit from the convenience of one all-inclusive bill that includes rent, utilities and luxuries such as Netflix subscription and WiFi.

“The Glenside property has been designed with luxury shared communal rooms.

"Due to the size of the property tenants can enjoy amazing shared facilities including a cinema room that tenants can book out should friends wish to join them, an on-site gym overlooking the beautiful grounds as well as a share co-working hot desk environment.

"The layout has been designed to provide communal space to the front part of the villa allowing tenements a broad range of amenity space should they wish to not be restricted to their bedroom areas.

"There are no proposed external alterations.”

The application site consists of a detached residential care home on the north side of Weedon Road as it leads out of Northampton town centre.

“Defined” by large dwellings fronting onto Weedon Road on the north side, and smaller semi-detached properties on the south, the company said that the area has “a real mixture on designs on offer, from Victorian villas to post-war dwellings and bungalows”.

The site will reportedly include cycle storage.

The application will now go before West Northamptonshire Council and a decision will be made.

Residents have until April 29 to comment. This can be done on the council’s website.