BCP Council (formerly Borough of Poole): Darryl Howells, a director of the firm, has successfully secured a Certificate of Lawfulness for the conversion of a dwelling to a 6 bedroom House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) with only 2 car parking spaces, in an established area of semi-detached houses.

Originally the dwelling was a 2 bedroom semi-detached dwelling in a less than sustainable location however Darryl’s strategy to secure the client’s HMO was twofold.  Firstly to secure planning permission for a large 2 storey extension to the side and rear.  The original dwelling had a net floor area of 69m sq, whereas the extension Darryl secured permission for, added another 88 sq m to the building.  Using a householder application, the tests were restricted to the impact upon the street scene and neighbouring amenities.  Using Darryl’s extensive knowledge of planning policies and arguments, the applicant was able to secure planning permission quickly under delegated powers.

The second step, was to apply for the Certificate of Lawfulness to a 6 bedroom HMO using Schedule 2, Part 3, Class L of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) as the proposed change is permitted development.

Adopting this two-step planning strategy secured the outcome the client needed without failing fowl of public opposition that usually arises when a HMO application is submitted for consideration by the Local Planning Authority.  The Certificate also avoided questions such as ‘is this where we want a HMO’ or ‘is there adequate on site car parking’ or ‘is there adequate amenity provision for the occupiers’.  The planning strategy worked. So if you want to propose a type of development but would like to discuss the matter with a planning consultant who can think outside the box to secure that end goal, and potentially avoid those difficult questions, then  please contact Pure Town Planning.