Plans to turn a semi-detached property in Southdown into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) have been refused as there are already too many in the area.
A planning application was submitted to Bath & North East Somerset Council for 32 The Oval which is near the junction with Chestnut Grove.
The proposal for the three-bed house involved building a single-storey rear and loft dormer extensions and changing the use to a six-bed HMO.
The property currently has parking for one car and one extra space was being proposed.
Ten objections were submitted relating to housing mix, HMO density, parking impacts and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) non-compliance.
Local councillor Jess David (Lib Dem, Moorlands) had highlighted her concerns about the loss of another family home to an extended HMO property.
She said: “There are already several large and smaller-sized HMO properties around The Oval, as noted in residents’ comments.
“The area has very limited space for on street parking and is already heavily congested with visibility issues around junctions and difficulty for vehicles and buses passing each other.
“There are frequently vehicles parked on pavements. From my observations in the ward, HMO properties bring with them additional vehicles compared to unconverted dwellings.
“This has an unfair impact on other residents and people using the surrounding streets, and I would object to this proposal on these grounds.”
HMOs are considered unacceptable if they represent 10% or more of households within a 100-metre radius.
Planning officers said the proposal for 32 The Oval would result in 13 HMOs within a 100-metre radius which is 12.9% concentration.
They said that the proposals would be contrary to supporting a balanced community, would result in an unacceptable loss of accommodation in terms of mix and would fail to be an energy-efficient HMO.
The rear extension was considered acceptable, but not the side dormer which it was considered would cause harm to the character and appearance of the area.
