Plans to increase number of people who can stay at Whitefield HMO

The council has recommended to approve a change-of-use application to convert a six-bed HMO into an eight-bed HMO on Bury New Road.

Under the proposals, two extra bedrooms and kitchen/diner would be made available. 

A total of 11 parking spaces would be created to the side of the property and five of them would be for HMO residents of the HMO and the others for neighbours.

After 34 neighbours were informed by a letter in July, 13 objections were made, a report prepared in advance for the council's planning committee next week said.

Some residents argue that the proposal will lead to increased traffic and pressures on parking around the site, an increase in service and delivery vehicles and vehicles on Bury New Road travel at high speed, and could make turning hazardous.

But the report noted HMOs can make an important contribution to the local housing stock and can utilise empty or underused space more efficiently and that the proposal wouldn’t conflict with the surrounding land and would be located in a sustainable location.

The same proposal for changing this property to eight bedrooms was submitted back in 2019 but was refused the following year.

It was refused after it was found “the lack of dedicated off-road parking provision is likely to lead to vehicles parking and carrying out manoeuvres on the highway to the serious detriment of the free flow of traffic and road safety".

Since the plans were turned down, the applicant acquired an additional strip of land within the existing parking area. Within that strip of land, the 11 parking spaces will be marked out under the plans.

The revised site plan indicates that, along with the parking area at the side of the property, there will be room for vehicles to turn at the end of Robin Lane, which is off Bury New Road at the side of the property.

The council has suggested that plans should be approved with conditions when committee members gather at the meeting on Tuesday, November 8.