by LDRS team for Filtonvoice
Councillors have “reluctantly” granted permission for yet another house in multiple occupation (HMO) on a road swamped with bedsits in Filton after being told they were powerless to stop it.
The conversion of a two-bedroom family bungalow at 39 Northville Road into a large, eight-person shared property was approved by South Gloucestershire Council development management committee by 7-0 votes, with two abstentions.
Ward Cllrs Alex Doyle and Adam Monk (Labour, Filton), a town councillor and 11 residents objected to the plans, which include extensions to the rear and the roof, with concerns about parking and litter problems and that the area is becoming overrun by bedsits.
A report to the meeting said the council had lost two costly planning appeals by developers for HMOs in the same road in the last three years.
It said that since 2020, six shared houses had been granted planning consent between numbers 7 and 68 Northville Road, generating demand for up to 17 on-street parking spaces.
But the local authority’s transport officer said there was still sufficient parking for the latest conversion.
Council policy says HMOs should not be allowed if they result in more than 10 per cent in a locality or 20 per cent within 100 metres.
However, the report said the change of use would increase the figures to 7.6 per cent and 10.5 per cent respectively, well below the thresholds.
South Gloucestershire Council development manager Marie Bath said it would not be long before these limits were reached and then officers would recommend refusal, but this was not yet the situation and that in this case the advice was to give the go-ahead.
She said she had a great deal of sympathy with residents who told the committee that the loss of another bungalow would deprive elderly or disabled people from living there.
“But we cannot stop people exercising their permitted development rights,” she said.
“It is sad that this is the loss of the bungalow but that may happen anyway irrespective of the outcome of the HMO.”
Cllr Mike Bell (Labour, Staple Hill & Mangotsfield) said: “I think the council would like to reject it but we have limited grounds on what we can reject because of losing the appeal and the costs on the council.”
Ms Bath said: “If we have sound reasons to refuse, we are not frightened of an appeal at all.
“We do refuse applications that exceed the thresholds.
“They just don’t come before you because they’re not the controversial ones.”
Cllr June Bamford (Conservative, Hanham) said: “I totally have sympathy with all the residents because we have such a lot of HMOs on this road but we are still under the 10 per cent.
“The appeals on other premises down Northville Road have been granted and it will cost us money, so I will be recommending that we approve this.
“We don’t have anything specifically to turn it down on.”
Cllr Tony Williams (Lib Dem, Severn Vale) said: “Like June, I reluctantly say we haven’t got grounds to turn it down.”
A report to the meeting on Thursday, October 24, said: “It is acknowledged that the proposal would make a positive contribution to the housing shortage, providing additional housing suitable for smaller households and single people in an area where there is a demand for such accommodation.
“The site is a sustainable location and adequate car and cycle parking provision would be available to address the additional traffic generated by the proposal.
“There are no officer concerns over highway safety or neighbours’ living conditions with respect to noise, disturbance and antisocial behaviour.
“Whilst the proposed extensions would unbalance the symmetry of this pair of semi-detached bungalows, which to some extent detracts from the highest standards of design principles, in the wider context of the character of the area the design is on balance acceptable and would not look out of place.”