Council throws out conversion plans for six-bed HMO in Lower Weston

Bath & North East Somerset Council has refused plans to convert a property in Lower Weston into a six-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO) on the grounds that it would be harmful to the neighbourhood.

A bedroom at an HMO property | Library image

Syntix Properties Ltd had applied to turn the four-bed mid-terrace in Windsor Villas into a HMO.

Only minor alterations were proposed to No.15, including internal reconfiguration to the ground level of the three-storey property.

The application stated it would be “a high-end HMO that will be managed under strict controls”.

There is one parking space and six cycle spaces were proposed.

B&NES Council keeps a register of HMOs, as it is acknowledges that a cumulative impact can harm a neighbourhood

Planning officers said Syntix Properties Ltd’s scheme would not cause ‘sandwiching’ of a home between two HMOs.

However, it would push the number of HMOs within a 100-metre radius to 15, which is a concentration of 12.7%, in excess of the 10% threshold.