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Councillors have rejected a bid to convert a Newport home into a new HMO on flooding, layout, and size grounds.
The applicant, Wilmont Assets Ltd, had proposed adapting a three-bedroom terraced house at 7 Conway Road into a HMO for four people.
HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) are typically properties for single, unrelated adults who have their own private bedrooms but share other communal areas, such as kitchens or bathrooms.
The plans in this case showed an upstairs bathroom would be turned into an extra bedroom, and the property’s downstairs shower and utility room would be remodelled to serve as its only bathroom.
This left members of Newport City Council’s planning committee unimpressed, and Beechwood ward councillor Mark Spencer complained about the layout as he outlined his objections to the plans.
Ward colleague Cllr Matthew Pimm also spoke against the HMO plan, branding it a “glorified bedsit” and alleging it wouldn’t add “any value to the local area”.
A report shows Cllr Deb Davies, another Beechwood ward representative, had asked for the committee to consider the application.
The committee also heard from a resident, introduced as Mr Garrett, who said the proposed HMO, if approved, “worsens parking stress and undermines community cohesion”.
He noted “many objections” to the application and claimed that “squeezing four unrelated adults into a small terrace reduces living standards”.
The committee heard the applicant’s agent had made written representations in support of the proposals, including that “all rooms have been measured on site with the planning officer and fully comply with the relevant standards”.
“The proposed four-bedroom HMO will be fully licensed, and the applicant remains committed to ensuring it is managed responsibly and to a high standard,” the agent added.
Senior planning officer Joanne Davidson said her department had recommended the application be approved, adding there was one other HMO within 50 metres of the property.
But committee members went against that recommendation, with Cllr Will Routley arguing the plans should be rejected because of flood risk and the HMO’s layout, particularly the downstairs bathroom being accessed through the kitchen.
Cllr Bev Perkins added the scheme should be turned down because of the HMO’s bedroom sizes.
“These are fully grown adults and we’re putting them in smaller and smaller boxes if we approve this size of HMO,” she said.
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