Plans to expand HMO in Northampton to seven bedrooms approved after appeal
Plans to expand a Northampton HMO have been approved at appeal, after planning officers warned councillors that their refusal decision would be difficult to defend.
Earlier this year, members of West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) non-strategic planning committee voted to turn down plans to expand an existing HMO in Ivy Road, Abington, from six to seven occupants.
The proposals were recommended for approval from the authority’s planning officers, but were called in by ward councillor Zoe Smith due to the potential impact on neighbouring residential amenity and increased parking and litter issues in the area.
At the August meeting, a WNC officer warned members that it would be hard to argue that the addition of one bedroom would have a substantial effect on parking and residential amenity, saying he was “not convinced we can make a case for it” at appeal.
Councillor David Gaskell raised concerns that the committee was being “held over a barrel by planning” and said he felt the property was “overdeveloped”. The plans were ultimately refused, with four members voting to turn it down and five abstentions.
Applicant Mr V Kryshinets later took the case to the government’s planning inspectorate, which ruled that planning permission should be granted.
Planning inspector Graham Wraight noted that the Northamptonshire Parking Standards Supplementary Planning Document has a requirement of one on-plot parking space per bedroom, which is not met in the HMO expansion proposals.
He added that it was “difficult” to find a parking space at the time of his site visit on a weekday afternoon and that a parking survey would be “highly likely” to confirm the scarcity of on-street parking in the area.
However, he noted that the property is located approximately 350 metres from shops and bus stops in Kettering Road and a 10-minute walk to the Wellingborough Road Local Centre, which allows the application to be supported under specific HMO policy.
In an appeal decision report, he wrote: “The appeal property is already in use as a six-bedroom HMO, and what is proposed would add only one bedroom to this.
“Concern has been raised by interested parties as to the impact on highway safety, however I do not consider that even if there were to be an increase of one extra vehicle that there would be any material impact in that regard.
“Likewise, comings and goings would not be materially increased by the provision of one extra bedroom.”
Concerns were also raised during the council planning meeting that almost one in four properties within a 50 metre radius of the site are already HMOs, which exceeds the 10 percent proportion set out in WNC planning policy.
The planning inspector acknowledged the high levels of HMOs in the area, but concluded that the application was to increase the size of an existing one and therefore would not further impact the levels. The report also found that there was “no substantive evidence” that the expansion would result in increased litter in the area.
According to conditions set out in the appeal, the development must begin no later than three years from the date of the decision and the HMO shall not be occupied by more than seven residents at any one time.