Plans submitted to convert city centre office building to eight-bed HMO

There are plans to convert an office building in the city centre into an eight-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO).

The proposals are for 18 Monmouth Place which is 18th century and Grade II listed.

Three bathrooms are proposed along with a communal living room and a separate kitchen/diner, as well as a separate utility room.

There is no car parking at the property but the plans include storage for eight bikes. There will also be a separate bin store.

The application says the property has been marketed since January 2024 as an office with no interest.

As part of the proposed conversion, both the ground floor and first floor will be utilised as well as the mezzanine level. New partition walls and doors will be required to enable the building to be suitably reconfigured.

No external alterations are proposed to the façade, but the development does seek the removal and replacement of two rear windows.

The application says the proposals will not result in any property being ‘sandwiched’ by HMOs. Records show that within a 100-metre radius, a total of eight properties are licensed HMOs which is a density of 4.5%, under the 10% threshold.

The site is said to be a “very sustainable location” with the nearest bus stop 55 metres away.

The planning reference is 26/03385/FUL and consultation ends on 22nd October.