PLANS for an HMO in Rhondda have been officially rejected by councillors.
The application for a five-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Wern Street, Clydach, was refused by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s planning committee on Thursday, April 3.
It was originally reported to committee in February where members voted that they were minded to refuse it against officers’ recommendations as they considered the conversion of the property to a five-bedroom house in multiple occupation would result in substandard living accommodation whilst also lacking external amenity space along with generating additional indiscriminate on-street parking in the area.
The application was then deferred again at a meeting in March so the committee could consider concerns raised during the consideration of several other HMO applications and how those considerations might impact this application.
The official reasons for refusal included that the proposal represented an inappropriate conversion and was considered overdevelopment of the site, resulting in an unacceptable intensification of use and poor-quality living accommodation for future residents, including a lack of outdoor amenity space and waste storage facilities.
Another was that the additional comings and goings would also cause unacceptable noise and disturbance to neighbouring residents.
They also said that the location of the site, with the absence of significant large-scale local employment opportunities in the locality, would be considered to rely on the use of private vehicles.
And they said that the development would provide no off-street parking spaces, resulting in an increased on-street parking demand and
indiscriminate on-street parking in an area of already high demand, to the detriment of highway safety and the free flow of traffic.
In recommending approval, planning officers had said that the proposed change of use would not result in an adverse impact upon the character of the site or highway safety.
They also said that since the new use would still be a residential one, occupying a sustainable location, it would be considered to be compatible with the surrounding land uses.
Three letters of objection had been received from local residents following consultation.
