Rejected HMO plans approved on appeal

A decision to reject plans for a house of multiple occupation (HMO) has been overruled by the Planning Inspectorate.

Hull City Council refused the application for a three-storey extension to the rear of 109-111 Beverley Road in Hull in September 2024, but the plans have been granted permission after an appeal.

The application proposed the site becoming a 24-bed HMO and one self-contained apartment, while maintaining ground-floor office space.

The application was recommended for approval by the council's planning department at the time but councillors on the committee unanimously voted to refuse it due to concerns surrounding car parking provision and outdoor amenity space.

When councillors raised concerns regarding car parking provision, a present planning officer explained that the council's highway authority had stated its position that the scheme was "compliant with policy because it's in a sustainable location".

The officer added: "Should we as an authority go for refusal, the highway authority will not support your refusal stance and that makes it very difficult at planning appeal."

The Planning Inspector addressed the committee's concerns about parking and outdoor space in overruling the decision, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

On parking, the inspector noted "the council's highways authority accepted the reduced level of car parking proposed due to the site's excellent access to alternative modes of travel and the low car ownership associated with HMOs".

The inspector said frequent bus services to and from Hull city centre and a range of shops within a short walk provided "excellent availability and access to public transport and local services".

"Given that the proposed development provides a lower cost housing option than alternative rental models, it is not inconceivable that car ownership of future occupiers of the HMO would be low," the inspector added.

"As the appeal site is well served by public transport and would provide on-site cycle storage facilities, in my view it is more likely that future occupiers of the HMO would utilise these alternative methods of transport."

On outdoor space, the inspector said, although the outdoor communal area in the plans "would only provide a small area of outdoor space, the site is also a short walk from Peel Street Park and 10 minutes' walk from Pearson Park, which would provide further, alternative options for outdoor recreation for future occupiers".

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