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A property on Newport’s Caerleon Road could be converted into a HMO for five people, according to new plans submitted to the city council.
Applicant Thomas Stratton, of Collective Living Ltd, is seeking permission to redevelop the mid-terraced house at 220 Caerleon Road, which currently has three bedrooms.
HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) are typically properties for single, unrelated adults who have their own private bedrooms but share other areas of the property.
Plans for 22 Caerleon Road show an existing ground-floor living room and a dining room would be turned into two additional bedrooms.
The property’s kitchen could be extended into a “small” rear extension, to create a larger kitchen and living room area by removing a downstairs toilet.
Each of the five proposed bedrooms would have its own en-suite bathroom, according to the plans.
Mr Stratton’s agent, Lloyd Jones of LRJ Planning Ltd, said the property is in a “sustainable” location within walking distance of a bus stop and “a raft of amenities and services” on Caerleon Road.
Mr Jones argued there was “no evidence to suggest the use of the property as a HMO would have any impact on neighbour amenity”, and said the proposal would not breach council thresholds on concentrations of such properties.
Planning documents show St Julians ward councillor Carmel Townsend has objected to the HMO proposal, alleging that “to accommodate five unrelated people in a small house is ludicrous”.
“The main concern is about squashing five adults into a house where there would be one ‘living room,’” added Cllr Townsend. “If an individual tenant wanted to use the room to entertain a friend or family, the others would have to spend their time in a bedsit.
“It is not right to constrain people in this way, even if rents are reasonable. HMOs take family houses out of use, thereby reducing community cohesion.”
The ward representative also claimed “St Julians has more than enough of these conversions” and raised parking concerns, stating “Caerleon Road is a busy main route, with few parking spaces to be had”.
Mr Jones, in his submissions, said the HMO conversion would lead to a shortfall of three parking spaces, but argued the property was in a “highly sustainable” location, and added a parking survey showed “even at times of peak demand that sufficient on street parking is available”.
The application is out for consultation until February 9, and can be viewed on the Newport City Council website under reference 26/0019.
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