“Greedy” plans to create six-bed HMO in Twerton are refused

Councillors have unanimously blocked “greedy” plans to turn a three-bedroom house in Bath into a six-bedroom HMO.

The property on Shaws Way in Twerton

Developer Rivers Birtwell wanted to turn a three-bedroom prefabricated home in Twerton into a six-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) — the legal name for a shared house where unrelated adults live together.

But when it came before Bath & North East Somerset Council’s planning committee on 24th September, the committee unanimously refused to grant planning permission for the “overdevelopment”.

It comes less than a week after the council called for stronger powers to stop “family homes” being turned into HMOs.

The council is proposing introducing a new policy in its new local plan to ban turning three-bedroom homes into HMOs where they could otherwise be suitable for families and first-time buyers — but this is not yet in force.

Planning committee member Ian Halsall (Oldfield Park, Liberal Democrat) said: “It is not a month goes by without us having to consider an HMO application.”

Rivers Birtwell wanted to turn the upstairs of the house into four bedrooms, turn the conservatory to fit the living area so another bedroom could fit in the current living room, and enlarge the current side extension to fit another bedroom.

Brian Maddocks, who has lived next door for 40 years, had told the committee he was “devastated” at the idea.

He said: “All these greedy people are coming in, snapping up these places, making extreme profits and you are going to make my life hell and my wife’s hell because it will always remain a student house.”

His local councillor, Sarah Moore (Twerton & Whiteway, Liberal Democrat), warned that the party wall between the homes was “paper thin”.

The homes are made of metal frames and wire mesh. The plans involved soundproofing, but councillors warned this would not be enough.

Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent) said: “There’s not much to like about this application. I appreciate they have, as a token gesture, reduced it from seven bedrooms to six. But six is still an overdevelopment.

“This house was never intended to be six bedrooms to accommodate six adults. That was never the intention of this estate.”

Paul Crossley (Southdown, Liberal Democrat) added: “We can’t just say it must stay as a family house because that’s not a planning consideration for the moment.

“But it is a real issue and it is something as a council that we have to much more seriously address — and at speed, because of the speed with which these applications are coming in.”

Councillors turned down the plan on the grounds of overdevelopment and loss of amenity to neighbours.

John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter