Larne: proposal for house of multiple occupancy at The Roddens turned down
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee has refused an application for a house of multiple occupation (HMO) at 25 The Roddens in Larne, a terrace property.
The proposal is for change of use from a dwelling to HMO containing eight bedrooms. The committee was told at a meeting in The Braid, Ballymena, on Thursday, the recommendation was to approve the application by Drumadoon Development Ltd, Belfast.
There were 79 letters of objection outlining concerns over potential loss of a large family home, change of character of the area, insufficient parking, traffic congestion and safety and potential overcrowding. Concerns over anti-social behaviour, noise impact and precedent for future HMOs were also highlighted.
A report to the committee said: “This planning application is for a change of use of an existing six bed dwelling to an eight bed house in multiple occupation.
“The proposed works are internal and involve the conversion of the existing living room into a ground floor bedroom as well as sub-dividing one of the larger first floor bedrooms into two separate bedrooms.
“The dining room will be re-purposed as a living area while the kitchen will remain unchanged. No alterations are proposed for the external appearance of the building.”
It stated: “The proposal would result in what is essentially a residential end use which is compatible with the area. The neighbouring dwellings are of a similar style and the character and design of the existing dwelling will be maintained.”
It is noted that an HMO licence “obliges landlords or their managing agents to have policies and procedures in place to effectively address any noise and disturbance that may arise”.
“It is not anticipated that the proposal will result in an unacceptable adverse impact upon the amenity of existing residents,” the report stated.
Fully Considered
Gary McGuinness, principal planning officer, told the committee issues raised by objectors have been “fully considered”.
“Matters relating to planning policy, residential amenity and infrastructure have been addressed through consultee responses and policy assessment. Issues such as property devaluation and HMO licensing fall outside the scope of the planning process.
“Having regard to the relevant planning policy context, consultee responses and material considerations, it is considered that the proposed change of use would not result in any unacceptable adverse impact on residential amenity character of the area or local infrastructure.”
Speaking at the meeting, East Antrim DUP MP Sammy Wilson said: “This is not just about this decision but since the council has no direct policy on HMOs, decisions that are made today could have implications for other sites in the future and I think it is important that this should not be regarded in isolation.
“We must be careful about the impact on character of the area, not just physical character but the nature of the housing provision.
“The characteristic of The Roddens is large, single family residences and this application would change that quite significantly because instead of having a single family residence, we are going to turn a single family residence into a multiple occupation with diverse people.
Separate Units
“In fact, you could have eight separate units within the one property. With eight bedrooms you could have up to 16 people occupying this property.”
He asked if it was sufficient to have two bathrooms, one kitchen and one living room for potentially 16 people.
Lough DUP Alderman Paul Reid pointed out that Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Roads has stated that parking in the vicinity is “sub-standard” and asked Mr Wilson if he was aware of any ongoing issues. The MP stated: “This is on a road which is already lined with cars and has huge car parking problems.”
East Antrim Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly also objected to the proposal saying: “Northern Ireland Water have stated clearly there is no capacity at the receiving waste water treatment works. Approving this would be planning on hope rather than on evidence and refusal is the only responsible outcome.
“On parking, DfI Roads have said in their consultation response that parking is sub-standard. The property relies entirely on on-street car parking in an area that is already under pressure.
“Changing this from a single family home to an eight-bedded HMO will only make that worse creating problems for residents and for road safety. This proposal would increase density, worsen congestion and remove a valuable family home.”
In response to queries from Ald Reid over character of the area and parking, Mr Donnelly said: “It would be a deviation from current character of the area, of The Roddens, which has family homes up and down the street, albeit large family homes, but having a HMO would be a deviation from that.
“It is an area that is congested. It has on-street car parking and you will regularly see cars lined up and down The Roddens nose to tail. It is very hard to get on-street car parking I know residents in the area who have to park a significant distance from their house in order to be able to park on-street. It is a very congested and busy area.”
Former councillor Andy Wilson said: “It is not easy to go against the recommendation of an officer. You have to have solid grounds to go against it. It seems to me that this does not meet the criteria of the self-contained policy.”
Ald Reid asked Mr McGuinness if he is “convinced” that the proposal is “in keeping” with the character of The Roddens.
Mr McGuinness said: “Society is changing. We need more smaller units as there are a lot more single people about the area so that was a judgement that we had to make.
“This is a different type of unit within The Roddens area but we felt that the increase was only from six to eight and taking into account the need for different types of residential units that that over-ruled the issue in terms of character.”
Head of planning Kyle Patterson stated: “Parking is a matter for planning and whilst DfI have highlighted that it is sub-standard in that area, it is not just sub-standard for that particular building, it is sub-standard in the general location of Larne town for a number of properties.”
He went on to say, however, this is generally acceptable in town centre locations where there may not be capacity for in-curtilage parking.
Ald Reid remarked: “It is not town centre. It is on the outskirts of the town.” Mr Patterson replied: “It is within Larne town albeit not the town centre.”
Coast Road Sinn Fein Cllr James McKeown asked about the suitability of amenities within the property for up to 16 people.
Mr McGuinness said 16 would be the “maximum”, adding: “These are judgement calls. There are other ones that we have refused on this basis. We deemed that a bathroom on each floor was acceptable and allows what is acceptable for what could be eight to 16 people.”
More Cars
Ballymena DUP Alderman Reuben Glover remarked: “Eight or ten folk must have friends, so if they come with a car from Carrick or Ballymena, wherever, that’s more cars on that street for a certain period of time.
“I’m more interested in the inside of the house. For health and hygiene reasons, I would not be too happy if I was one of them living in there.”
Mr McGuinness replied: “We are looking at it purely from a policy context.”
Mr Patterson said that in terms of public health and hygiene, these are dealt with through a separate licensing process. Mr McGuinness noted there is a bin storage area at the rear of the property.
Ald Reid said: “I respect what Mr McGuinness has brought to the committee. However, I would strongly disagree on the grounds of policy HOU2. The character of The Roddens will be affected and the integrity of The Roddens will be affected by this proposal of an HMO.”
He also proposed that on the grounds of policy that covers parking, the committee should refuse the recommendation and does not grant planning permission. His proposal was seconded by Cllr McKeown.
Following a vote on the proposal, which was supported by all ten committee members, planning permission was refused.
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter