Wrexham HMO plans approved on appeal despite council saying there are too many on one street

Plans for a house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Wrexham have been approved on appeal, despite the local authority saying there would too many on one street.

A bid to create shared housing for six people in the Hightown area was rejected by Wrexham Council in September last year.

The decision was made in light of guidance which states bedsits should make up no more than ten per cent of the homes within a 50 metre radius of an application site.

The local authority said there were already two HMOs either side of the property on Beechley Road, with a total of six in the immediate vicinity.

Chief planning officer Lawrence Isted said it would result in shared housing units making up nearly 13 per cent of the homes in the area, as well as causing parking problems.

However, applicants Darren Evans and Chris Tye made an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in August.

An inspector appointed by the Welsh Government has now overturned the council’s decision after highlighting the demand for such accommodation in Wrexham.

In a report, Claire MacFarlane said: “The council has not provided any substantive evidence to demonstrate that the existing concentration of HMOs is causing harm in respect of the social fabric and amenity of the area, or that the proposal would give rise to such harm.

“Although it would result in the loss of a family home, the surrounding area would remain largely residential and the scale of the proposal would not alter the character in this respect.

“Furthermore, the supporting text to policy H4 and LPGN (Local Planning Guidance Note) 5 recognises the increasing demand for smaller, more affordable accommodation in the county borough, and the contribution of HMOs towards meeting this need.”

She added: “Many of the other concerns raised by local residents are largely related to the demography, behaviour and lifestyle of occupiers, which are not specific to HMOs and may occur in any residential area.

“The proposal would be required to comply with any licensing requirements in terms of management of the property as a HMO, and noise nuisance or anti-social behaviour could be addressed through other regulatory regimes.”

Residents living on the street previously held a protest in relation to a different HMO application after claiming the amount of bedsits was creating issues with traffic and fly tipping.

Members of the Beechley Road Residents’ Association have also made representations regarding the over-concentration of HMOs in the area and problems with bin storage.

But Ms MacFarlane said she had not picked up any significant issues during a site visit.
She said: “I acknowledge that the appeal property and some of the existing HMOs would benefit from some external maintenance.

“However, these are relatively minor cosmetic improvements and I do not consider their current condition to be run-down or dilapidated, nor is this matter particular to the HMOs in the area.

“Whilst I noted wheelie bins and recycling containers being stored in the front yard area of a small number of properties, there was little to indicate an existing problem with overflowing or poorly managed household waste.”

By Liam Randall – BBC Local Democracy Reporter