BCP Council (Bournemouth area): Chris Miell has secured planning permission for a change of a former first floor hair salon to a 6-person House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) at an existing property on Bourne Avenue, Bournemouth.
The scheme was designed by David James Architects (DJA) and will provide high-quality housing for single occupants, such as working professionals, within the town centre of Bournemouth close to local amenities and services, including high frequency public transport. The approved layout makes use of this vacant commerical unit to provide 6 x bedrooms with a communal dining and kitchen area.
To support the application, we prepared a comprehensive design, access and planning statement, which set out the merits of the proposal in a clear and concise manner, which included an assessment against Policy CS24 of the Core Strategy. This policy indicates that new HMOs will only be considered acceptable where no more than 10% of properties within a defined area surrounding the application site are in use as HMOs. Pure Town Planning carried out a saturation assessment as part of the submission in order to confirm policy compliance.
Following the Council’s assessment, it was confirmed that the 10% threshold was not breached and the proposed change of use could be accommodated without any harmful impacts of intensification of the site, neighbouring amenity and the character and appearance of the area – thereby granting approval.
If you are exploring the possibilities of converting/creating a new HMO development and seek assistance in steering your scheme through the planning process, then contact Pure Town Planning on 01202 585524, or email us at info@puretownplanning.co.uk for an assessment to see if we can assist.