BCP Council (Poole):  Darryl Howells, a director of the firm has received a favourable appeal from the Planning Inspectorate, against the decision of the Council to refuse planning permission for an extension to a dwelling and its subsequent conversion to an 11 bedroom House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).   The Local Planning Authority refused the scheme on the grounds of over-intensification and loss of privacy to neighbouring occupiers.   The client instructed Darryl to appeal the decision to the Planning Inspectorate.

In doing so Darryl presented a robust case that argued the sustainable nature of the scheme, the limited impact it would have on the character and appearance of the area, and that neighbouring amenities would not be affected to any great extent.   The Planning Inspector mentioned in his decision that “bedrooms in an HMO are likely to be used more intensively than those in a dwelling due to the lack of other sizable rooms for day-to-day activities and the lack of privacy that those shared spaces would provide” but that said, “whilst it would not be possible to control the internal arrangement of a room in an HMO and occupants may place their sitting areas close to the window, there is equally no control over the way that rooms in a conventionally occupied dwelling are used. There is no substantive evidence, therefore, that the use as an HMO would result in significantly less privacy than has already been permitted by the Council”.

In terms of arguing intensification, the Planning Inspector accepted the argument put by Darryl that there is no substantive evidence as to why additional residents in a building would cause materially greater harm to other residents living in a house in terms of noise disturbance including at anti-social hours.

Needless to say the client is very pleased with Darryl’s performance and his track record, as to date for this particular client, Darryl has secured various planning application approvals and appeal decisions, without loss. 

If you have a building that you want to intensify its residential use or create a HMO, please contact Pure Town Planning for a free confidential consultation.