PLANS to bring a five bedroom HMO to Tonypandy town centre have been approved by councillors.
Rhondda Cynon Taf’s planning committee approved plans for the conversion of the rear annex of 113 Dunraven Street to create a five bedroom house in multiple occupancy.
It would include alterations to the roof, refurbishment and alterations and the removal of the rear flat roof element.
It would also include five bathrooms, four of which would be ensuite, a separate toilet, a communal open plan living area, a separate TV room, a utility/laundry room and a workspace room.
This is a resubmission of an application which was for a six-bedroom HMO and subsequently refused due to concerns of overdevelopment and that the layout, lack of outlook, natural light and ventilation to some rooms would result in substandard accommodation.
There were four letters of objection which said that Eleanor Street is residential and has elderly residents as well as children and that other construction works nearby have created noise, dust and general disruption.
They said there is insufficient parking provision in a street that is already full of cars and that new residents should not be entitled to a permit.
They raised concerns that health issues will be affected by the disturbance of development and about the invasion of privacy to front rooms of existing dwellings.
They said that the street will be oversaturated, Eleanor Street does not need any more flats and that five person occupancy would be too great.
In recommending approval, planning officers said: “The proposed development would introduce a residential use to the site which would be considered an appropriate and complementary use to the surrounding development within Eleanor Street.
“In addition, the external alterations to the property would bring about a welcome improvement to its appearance and thus, the immediate street scene, whilst resulting in the beneficial re-use of a redundant building and a small contribution to housing supply.”
They said that the application site is located within the settlement boundary and the principle of residential development would therefore be acceptable and accord with policies of the Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Development Plan.
They said the development would result in a great improvement to the appearance of the site and would not create an unacceptable amenity impact to existing residents or harm highway safety.
And they said that the development would be considered to provide accommodation to a standard that could demonstrate compliance with the council’s supplementary planning guidance relating to the development of flats or houses in multiple occupation.
Councillor Gareth Hughes, who represents Tonypandy, said it’s significantly better than previous applications but still has concerns with the potential of 10 people living in there meaning there could be potentially 10 vehicles.
He said while it is a significant improvement there is still limited natural light in some of the rooms and said there have been several one and two bed developments approved in Tonypandy recently adding that he’s slightly concerned they could end up with an overconcentration of this type of property.
Councillor Wendy Lewis said she thinks it’s an excellent application and Councillor Ross Williams said they’ve always said that people should have the dignity of having their own bathroom and it ticks all the boxes for him.
