Plans to turn a three-bed semi in Upper Weston in Bath into a seven-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) have been submitted to Bath & North East Somerset Council.
Holcombe Green in Bath
The plans for a “high-quality HMO” relate to a property at Holcombe Green and have been submitted by Rivers Birtwell, a company which specialises in accommodation for students and young professionals.
The change of use of No. 10 includes adding a single-storey rear extension, external wall cladding and storage in the front garden for four bicycles.
A bin storage area to the front of the house is also proposed.
The HMO will provide seven single bedrooms with two shower rooms/WCs and a living/ kitchen/dining room.
The applicant says the house currently accommodates a family of five and the “small increase” to seven sharers is unlikely to lead to activity levels that would cause harm to neighbours.
Rivers Birtwell add that occupiers of HMOs are generally less likely to have cars than families so the proposals are unlikely to impact on-street parking or trips. It is also pointed out that the area is served by regular buses.
The applicant stresses that HMOs play a valuable role in the local housing mix, providing accessible and affordable accommodation to students, hospitality workers and young professionals.
It notes that a city-wide direction was introduced by B&NES Council in 2013 to manage, rather than prevent, the conversion of houses into HMOs.
There are said to be at least 73 homes within a 100-metre radius of 10 Holcombe Green and according to the council’s register, none are currently in HMO use so the change of use would be well within the set 10% density threshold.
The planning reference is 24/03462/FUL. Anyone wishing to comment on the application has until 3rd October.
