Plans for a huge extension on a house in Bishopston could soon be refused as the area has too many houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
Developers have applied for planning permission to convert what was originally a two-bed house on Oak Road into a six-person HMO. The house currently has four bedrooms, but the plans would see it converted to accommodate four single bedrooms and one double bedroom.
The controversial plans sparked a fierce debate in May, when Bristol City Council’s development control committee voted to defer a decision, until planning officers could come up with official reasons to refuse planning permission — which they have now done.
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Back in May the council was criticised for having “no idea” how many HMOs there are in Bristol. Planning officers said the area around Oak Road did not have enough HMOs to meet a threshold preventing more houses getting converted, which was disputed by residents.
Since that meeting, planning officers say they have found several more HMOs nearby, and others have recently been registered. This means the next development control committee will likely vote to refuse planning permission.
A report to the development control committee — which was due to meet on Wednesday, September 14, but has been postponed following the death of the Queen — gave details about how the situation has changed over the summer, with new details about the issue.
The report said: “Since the decision to defer the application, three more HMOs have been licensed within the immediate area of the application site. This is a material change in circumstance, and consequently, a refusal would now be warranted on the grounds of a sandwiching effect.
“Following the committee on May 18, seven further HMOs have now been identified through licensing within 100 metres of the application site. It’s considered that the application could now be refused due to a harmful concentration of HMOs in the immediate area.”
Pressure is building on the council to formally decide on giving planning permission, as the developer has appealed to government planning inspectors. The appeal says the council has taken too long in making a decision, known in planning jargon as “non-determination”.
