Nine-bedroom HMO in Wellingborough given go-ahead despite parking concerns
A former care home in Wellingborough has been given the green light to become a house in multiple occupation (HMO).
The property at 34 Finedon Road, Wellingborough was previously used as a care home for nine residents, however will now be refurbished and repurposed into a HMO.
Plans were approved on August 4 to change the interior layout to include seven en-suite bedrooms, two of which available for double occupancy.
A planning document reads: “The proposed development would make a small but important and positive contribution to the housing requirement for Wellingborough through the provision of seven high quality en-suite bedrooms within an existing residential area.
"The property would remain in residential use, and would not be extended or altered. There could be a minor increase in the number of comings and goings to the property when compared to the existing care home use. In context of the site being close to the town centre and a public park, there will already be a reasonably high degree of pedestrian footfall in the area, so any difference is unlikely to be material.”
There are no proposed changes to the exterior of the building, which the applicant believes will ensure there is a ‘neutral impact’ on the overall character and appearance of the building.
The applicant claims that, when a nine-bedrooom, nine-person HMO was approved on the site in 2022, it was found in a parking beat survey found there to be enough parking provision on nearby streets. Therefore, the application notes that this would not be an issue.
However, an objection was lodged by a neighbour citing parking issues. They said: “I objected in the first instance to the change of use to a nine bed HMO and am still objecting. Parking has become a nightmare already.
"The new flats down the street are already impacting on parking and with the thought of possibly another nine vehicles will make life very difficult.”
A planning document responds by saying that occupants of the property would benefit from a ‘high standard of amenity’ and the proposals would not ‘adversely impact’ amenity levels ‘currently enjoyed’ by those living nearby.
Wellingborough Town Council upheld its objection, saying it would have ‘a significant detrimental impact on highway safety’ due to the additional parking.
Read the full application online here, or by searching NW/25/00040/FUL on the North Northants Council planning portal.