COUNCILLORS have approved plans for a six-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Haydock.

An application proposing the change of use of a site, on Church Road, from a beauty salon to a six-bedroom HMO – along with demolition work, external alterations and a dropped kerb – came before the planning committee at its meeting on Tuesday.

As recommended, it was approved subject to conditions.

Committee member Cllr Seve Gomez-Aspron, who is the deputy council leader, said: “We speak at length when HMOs come to these committees and we talk a lot about housing and we don’t talk a lot about homes.”

'We need housing stock that's diverse'

He said “if you look back in history, the concept of a HMO isn’t that new” and “the point is with HMOs, it’s not our ambition for every single thing we build going forward to be a HMO, the same way that it isn’t our ambition for everything we build going forward to be a 10-bedroom mansion”.

Furthermore, Cllr Gomez-Aspron stated “we need a housing stock that has got a diverse supply”.

“This building is a weird one, it would not win any architectural prizes for how it looks,” he added.

“It’s of a design for businesses that don’t exist anymore, where those sort of small, medium manufacturing type need a little factory.

“They don’t exist, so what do you do with it?”

Cllr Gomez-Aspron stated that “either options are you do this and convert it, or you flatten it”.

He also said “we need a diverse stock, and this will cater to a supply that needs somebody to live in it”.

READ MORE: Plans drawn up for new HMO

According to a report to the committee, the application building consists of a two-storey detached building with a flat roof.

“The proposal would include partial demolition of the rear of the building encompassing all of the single-storey section and part of the two-storey section of the building,” it said.

“The area to the rear of the building would be utilised as shared outdoor amenity space and would include a single-storey detached outbuilding, which will be used to store bicycles and household waste.

“The outdoor amenity space will be enclosed with 1.8-metre-high timber fencing, whilst retaining the brick wall section to the rear boundary of the site.

“Kerbs along the front of the building will be dropped, to allow for parking for three vehicles.

“The applicant has confirmed that they are relocating the beauty salon to an alternate premises on the High Street in Newton-le-Willows. Currently the applicant has one employee who will be moving across to the new premises.

“The applicant has confirmed that the maximum number of occupants would be six residents, one per bedroom, this will be secured by a condition.”

Objections 

The application has been advertised with neighbouring notification letters and a site notice.

The report to the committee stated that a total of 70 letters of objection to the application had been received from 23 properties, as a result of the public consultation.

But at the start of the planning committee meeting, members were told that since the time of the publication of the report to the committee, eight further objections were received, and that some of these representations made points that have been raised by other written representations.

The grounds for the objections, as summarised in the report, include parking issues, highway and traffic issues, the development is "out of character" with the area, "inadequate living conditions" for future occupants, and an "increase" of noise and disturbance.

The report said the principle of development is considered acceptable and in accordance with the NPPF and St Helens Local Plan.

“The proposal is considered to be in accordance with the general aims and objectives of Local Plan policies, which include general support for the provision of housing needed for different groups in the community,” it added.

“The amenity and contaminated land impact of the change of use is considered acceptable and no severe impact is created to highway network from the proposed application.”