BCP Council (Poole): After more than seven months of negotiations, consultation, and determination including a planning committee process, Matt is delighted to confirm that planning permission has now been granted for a Variation of Condition application on Alder Road in Poole, transforming a previously approved 10-bedroom HMO scheme into a high-quality 16-bedroom HMO development.The approved plans were designed by ARC Architecture,
The application sought to amend an extant consent for the demolition of an existing dwelling and erection of a 10-bedroom HMO, allowing instead for a redesigned and intensified 16-bedroom scheme with associated parking, cycle storage, refuse facilities and landscaping.
The proposal attracted significant local opposition, generating 37 objection letters and ultimately being called into planning committee due to concerns raised regarding parking, traffic and intensity of use. As a result, the application could not be determined under delegated powers and was referred to committee for a full public determination.
At committee, Matt presented a deputation on behalf of the applicant, addressing members directly on the planning merits of the scheme, the technical evidence supporting the proposal, and the clear policy basis for approval. Following debate, members voted by majority in favour of granting planning permission.
Importantly, the planning officer’s report strongly supported the development and concluded that the proposal represented sustainable development in an accessible urban location. The report acknowledged that BCP Council is currently unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, confirming that relevant housing policies are considered out of date. Officers concluded that the scheme would “contribute towards the Council’s housing delivery target” and that “the presumption in favour of sustainable development applies.”
The officer also recognised the site’s highly sustainable location within a designated Sustainable Transport Corridor, stating that the proposal represented “a form of high-density development within the sustainable transport corridor” and that the principle of development was acceptable.
In response to concerns about the scale and appearance of the revised scheme, the report concluded that the building “would not appear overly large or dominant within the street scene” and that the development would “integrate into the area without causing material harm to the character and appearance of the street scene or wider area.”
The committee report also confirmed there were no objections from key statutory consultees, including highways, environmental health, ecology, trees and waste officers. Crucially, the Highway Authority confirmed that no additional parking provision was required because the adopted parking standards for a 16-bedroom HMO were the same as those for the previously approved 10-bedroom scheme.
Officers further accepted that the proposal would provide an acceptable standard of accommodation for future occupiers, with all bedrooms benefiting from private bathrooms and compliant room sizes. The report noted that the scheme would provide “acceptable accommodation both internally and externally” together with adequate communal and outdoor amenity space.
This was a complex and heavily scrutinised application requiring careful navigation of local concerns, housing policy, parking standards and committee procedure. We are extremely pleased to have secured a successful outcome for our client.