Police object to plans for 12-room bedsit in Welsh seaside town

Kieran Molloy, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans have been approved to convert offices into a bedsit in a Welsh seaside town but local police and the town council aren’t happy.

Vale of Glamorgan Council have approved plans by NKW Properties to turn vacant offices at 163 Holton Road in Barry into a 12-room bedsit, which would be operated by the council’s housing department.

Planning documents read: “It is expected this accommodation will be occupied by transient residents and is predicted to be for a relatively short period of time, estimated at a maximum of 18 months. It is acknowledged that some units are smaller than others and this will be managed accordingly.”

South Wales Police objected to the application.

A letter from the force to council planners outlines a number of concerns regarding the development, which it calls a house in multiple occupation (HMO).

These include the HMO’s “more transient population” which are at a higher risk of crime, the impact HMOs can have on “crime, disorder, parking, nuisance, and general neighbourhood cohesion”, and safety of possibly vulnerable people living in the HMO.

More concerns include the high density of HMOs in the area, poor security in some HMOs, and other concerns regarding anti-social behaviour.

However the police force did acknowledge that HMOs “ provide an important source of housing and form part of a balanced housing provision mix”, that the applicant had a “proven track record” in working with councils and delivering this type of housing, and that “this is a temporary consent to meet a very urgent need”.

The applicant acknowledges potential issues with anti-social behaviour.

Planning documents state: “Due to the unique operation of these units the usual congregational amenity spaces are to be avoided to prevent any territorial and anti-social behaviours that can be experienced in such accommodation provisions – the outside spaces, therefore, will receive minimal landscaping to protect privacies and will provide for bin storage and drying areas. No parking will be included apart from bicycle racking for the use of residents within a secured courtyard at the rear.”

Barry Town Council also objected to the development with a statement that reads: “Overdevelopment. No disabled access. Anti-social behaviours in the town would be exaggerated. No real communal living space. No en suite facilities. No mention if single or dual-sex.”

A letter from the council’s housing strategy team attached to the application says that 1,075 additional affordable housing units are required each year to meet the housing needs in the area.

It adds: “There is also a continuous need for temporary accommodation.”

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