Neighbours objected over antisocial behaviour at a ground-floor shop
The two houses above and next to Best-one in Knowle West that will become HMOs (Image: Google Maps)
Plans to extend two neighbouring houses to create a total of 16 bedsits in Knowle West have been approved.
The two properties, at 10 Melvin Square, above the Best-one shop, and 1 Ilminster Avenue, will become a nine- and seven-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO) respectively.
Permission was granted by the Planning Inspectorate after the applicant bypassed Bristol City Council’s planning department, which is in special measures, and submitted the proposals directly to the government body.
A similar previous redevelopment was refused by the local authority last September – a decision upheld on appeal – because it would have created 18 self-contained flats that were too small.
The inspector’s report giving the go-ahead to the bedsits, which involves extensions on all three floors of 10 Melvin Place and a first-storey expansion of the Ilminster Avenue house, said the application hinged on whether future occupiers would have an acceptable standard of accommodation.
It said consent was already in place for first- and second-floor extensions to form six self-contained apartments at the Melvin Square property and a first-storey side extension to 1 Ilminster Avenue to create a first-floor flat.
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The report said: “These works are similar in scale and design to those currently proposed and I understand that permission could still be implemented.”
Four neighbours objected to the HMO plans with concerns about traffic congestion, parking, pedestrian safety from HMO deliveries to the convenience store, noise, and antisocial behaviour, but a 160-name petition was submitted in favour.
One resident wrote in opposition: “I am deeply concerned about how the site would be managed.
“The HMOs would be built above an existing shop which is already a magnet for ongoing antisocial behaviour.
“Outside the shop is an area where groups of people loiter, drink alcohol and frequently beg for money, often creating a hostile environment for people passing by.
“As the shop operates a night window and is effectively open 24 hours, these problems continue into the night, with hostile behaviour, crime and noise a regular night-time problem that affects residents.”
In its submission, the council said that consent should be granted and that the plans would not create a harmful overconcentration of HMOs in the area.
The inspector’s report said the size of each bedsit, which would all be for single occupancy, exceeded the guidance in the local authority’s policies.
It said: “All those bedrooms would also exceed the floorspace requirement for two people should that occur.
“In addition, all would have a reasonable layout and benefit from well proportioned windows providing natural lighting and outlook to those rooms.
“In conclusion on this main issue, the proposal would provide a satisfactory standard of accommodation for future occupiers.
“I note the concerns raised by third parties surrounding traffic around Melvin Square, and I observed the nearby school and bus services which create a busy road network surrounding the site.
“No parking would be provided for residents of the development.
“However, given the site’s location and good accessibility to public transport, in combination with the council’s policy regarding maximum parking standards, this is acceptable and would encourage use of sustainable means of transport by future occupants.
“Neither is there substantive evidence that the development would cause severe impacts on the road network that would justify refusal.
“While I note concerns regarding antisocial behaviour in the area, there is no evidence to support that this proposal would necessarily exacerbate those issues, or that it would add to noise disturbance.”
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