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A mid-terrace house in Risca is to be turned into a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) after plans were approved by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s planning committee.

A HMO is accommodation run by a private landlord, with bedrooms rented out to unrelated tenants who share facilities. According to developer D2 Propco, the HMO will be home to young people, the exact age of the future tenants is unknown.

Duncan Evans, founder and director of the Cardiff-based development company, said he started the company five years ago to “meet the demands and needs of temporary accommodation across South Wales”.

Prior to the decision, concerns were raised about the plans for the HMO at 63 Commercial Street, with 44 residents objecting to the application – in addition to a late objection from Gwent Police.

At a planning committee meeting on Wednesday, August 10, Risca West councillor Bob Owen raised his concerns about the development.

He said that as a town they had been let down in terms of consultation with the developer.

The Independent councillor added: “No disrespect to the type of people that come in to HMOs – we have already got one in Risca by the way, within about 100 yards of that – what we are looking to do is re-build the town, and I defy anybody in this room that they think it will be a good idea to have a HMO in their own town, if it was on the main street.”

Cllr Owen also commented on the issues brought to the town by the current HMO in the area.

Speaking in support of his application, Mr Evans of D2 Propco, said: “The young people who will live in this home are known to us – they are Caerphilly children.

“D2 wants these young people to feel part of a community and for those in the neighbourhood to treat them as such.”

Despite the concerns, twelve committee members voted in favour of the application, three voted against it and one abstained.

At the meeting, Plaid Cymru councillor James Fussell suggested that Caerphilly Homes – a branch of the council’s housing department – does a presentation to the committee to give it a better idea of HMOs in the county borough.