An eight-bedroom house in the middle of an Isle of Wight town will become a house in multiple occupation (HMO) despite an outcry over the plans.
Mr Singh’s planning application to County Hall for a change of use of 23 Atherley Road in Shanklin has been approved by planners as a ‘positive contribution to meeting local housing needs’.
The two-storey property currently has two kitchens, two lounges, two ensuites, three shower rooms and one bathroom.
Submitted plans show the HMO will have eight bedrooms plus a communal bathroom, shower room, two lounge-kitchen areas and two residents’ storage spaces.
Nine people objected to Mr Singh’s proposal, raising concerns relating to the prevalence of and need for HMOs in the area, property maintenance, anti-social behaviour and security, effects on the local tourism industry, community and elderly people and the standard of proposed accommodation.
They also flagged family housing needs, impacts on property values and the area’s character, parking availability, road congestion and maintenance, noise pollution, overstretched public services and local infrastructure capacity.
Atherley Road resident Emma Godsell said:
“This application to increase resident numbers in the property without providing any parking facilities will only exacerbate existing problems.
“I am also concerned that this will provide more transient accommodation in a road already saturated with HMOs, when the area is lacking available properties for families or long-term residents.”
Simon Pusey, of North Road, said:
“This is going to sound NIMBY, however that’s not my intention. Atherley Road is the first experience of Shanklin for many visitors on their way to the beach or accommodation.
“As the road stands as a first impression of our town, it is very poor. Adding more residential space on an already congested and poorly maintained road isn’t going to improve the situation for current residents, the proposed new residents and visitors to Shanklin.”
The council’s report explaining the decision said:
“Given the relatively small-scale of the use proposed, edge-of-centre location, and variety of uses and accommodation locally, it is considered the proposal is unlikely to have any significant impacts on the residential character of the locality.
“All bedrooms would be of a reasonable size and benefit from windows providing sources of daylight and outlook.
“The property also benefits from small front and rear gardens, with the rear garden providing some communal outdoor amenity space.
“There is no evidence that existing HMO uses are harming the area in terms of crime and disorder locally.
“It is considered future occupiers of the HMO would be less likely to own a car…the proposed use would be unlikely to have a severe impact on the highway network.”