Plans for HMO in Rhondda Faces Formal Refusal Amid Over 100 Objections

Plans for an HMO in the Rhondda which has had more than 100 public objections could soon be formally refused by councillors.
The application for a five bedroom house in multiple occupation in Gordon Street, Ton Pentre is due to go back before Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT)’s planning committee on Thursday, August 15.
There have been 62 letters of objection received from local residents, both local councillors and the Senedd Member for South Wales Central, Andrew RT Davies as well as a  separate petition which includes 58 separate signatures which raised concerns over the safety of the community, lack of parking, the amenity of neighbours, noise and disturbance, anti-social behaviour, a lack of community cohesion and whether it is needed in the area.
It previously came before the committee in June when committee voted to refuse the application going against the recommendation of officers.
They considered the property is substandard for use as a five bedroom house in multiple occupation and so a further report is being brought to them to highlight the potential strengths and weaknesses of taking this decision.
The planning report said that the committee members considered the property is not of a scale that could appropriately accommodate an HMO for occupation by five people.
It was considered the conversion would lead to overdevelopment of the site and an intensification of use that would result in substandard and poor quality living accommodation for future residents, noting issues such as small bedroom sizes and a lack of shared facilities and that the local planning authority should aspire to provide good quality accommodation for future occupants.
The committee felt that these concerns are key considerations of such a scheme and proposals for residential schemes that would create poor quality living accommodation for future residents should be refused.
Planning officers have put forward a potential reason for refusal that the committee could use if they are still minded to reject the application which reads: “The proposal represents an inappropriate conversion and is considered overdevelopment of the site, resulting in an unacceptable intensification of use and poor quality living accommodation for future residents; and a detrimental impact on the amenities of nearby residents.
“As such, the application is contrary to Policy AW5 of the Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Development Plan and Supplementary Planning Guidance: Houses in Multiple Occupation.”
But in their planning assessment of the application officers said: “It is considered that HMOs have a key role to play in meeting housing need within the social rented sector and that the proposal would assist in providing alternate accommodation within the village for residents that cannot afford properties of their own.
“However, it is also acknowledged that the occupation of a house by multiple individuals can result in the intensification of its traditional residential use and that such an intensification could result in having negative impacts upon future occupants, their neighbours, and the local community.
“In this case, the scheme relates to an existing building that is currently in
residential use. The application site is located within the settlement limits of
Ton Pentre, in a predominantly residential area of the village.
“It is also within a sustainable location with good access to public transport links and local services and facilities, which is considered acceptable. Furthermore, the application complies with relevant policies of the council’s Houses in Multiple Occupation Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG).
“Therefore, the proposed residential use is considered acceptable, in principle, at this location. The proposal would not involve substantial external alterations and would therefore have no impact upon the character and appearance of the application property.
“With limited alterations and an occupation of only five individuals it is not
considered the scheme would result in a considerable intensification use, or
a significant impact upon the amenity and privacy of surrounding properties.
Nor would it have any undue impact upon highway safety in the vicinity of
the site.”
They also said that since April 2019 all HMOs in RCT are required to be licensed under the Additional Licensing (Houses in Multiple Occupation) Scheme 2019 and that consultation with the public health and
protection team has confirmed that the development would comply with all
relevant standards required to secure a separate HMO licence. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​