Fresh bid lodged for HMO and church conversion scheme

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for a new HMO and church in a Welsh city have been resubmitted after council planners rejected an initial bid.

The applicant, a Mr Mahmood, has proposed redeveloping Ty Derwen, a former school in Church Road in Newport that has more recently been used as offices and a training centre.

Under his revised plans, the ground floor layout would be redesigned to include prayer rooms and a children’s play area.

Upstairs, offices would be converted into a HMO (house in multiple occupation) for seven people.

HMOs are typically properties for single, unrelated adults who have their own private bedrooms but share other communal areas.

In this case, the applicant has proposed each bedroom would have an en suite, and the prospective tenants would use two communal kitchens and a living room.

Newport City Council planning officers rejected the original proposals for the redevelopment last October over concerns it would have a “significant adverse effect” on the HMO’s future occupiers, who would have to share an entrance with the ground-floor uses.

They also flagged concerns about a lack of outdoor space for the HMO’s residents, a failure to provide adequate bin storage, an increase in traffic and a lack of affordable housing contributions.

Objections

That original application also drew 15 neighbour objections as well as two letters of support.

St Julian’s ward councillors Paul Bright, Phil Hourihane and Carmel Townsend also raised concerns about traffic, waste management and the development’s proximity to a nursery.

In a supporting statement for the new application, planning agents at KW Dorrington Architectural Associates said the property is in a “sustainable area” and was in need of long-term use.

The proposal is for partly retrospective planning permission because some internal works had already been carried out, the agents explained.

They said the ground-floor church use would be “quite part-time” and when the play area was in use, children would be supervised by parents.

The new plans included a separate outdoor amenity space and new bin storage areas for the HMO’s residents, and flood risk could be mitigated by all the residential units being located on the first floor, they added.

The agents also argued the HMO would not exceed local thresholds on overconcentration, and similar plans had been approved for first-floor residences elsewhere in Newport.

The application is currently out for consultation, and can be viewed on the Newport City Council website under reference 26/0174.