'A devastating effect on the local community': 22-bed HMO plan receives mixed response from Oswestry residents
Plans to turn a former hotel in Oswestry town centre into a large house in multiple occupation (HMO) have generated a mixed response from locals.
Earlier this month plans to turn the former Smithfield Hotel in Oswestry into a 22-bed HMO were submitted to Shropshire Council.
The hotel - once known as The Bear Hotel and most recently as the home of the Bullring Bar - has been vacant since it closed in 2015.
Previous plans to convert the Georgian building into apartments were given the go-ahead but the development was never completed, with the owner claiming there was little demand for such accommodation in the town centre.
The latest application stated: "The provision of a larger HMO will provide much-needed lower-cost housing accommodation, whilst securing the continued occupation and maintenance of the building and the site."
But the plans have not been wholly welcomed by Oswestry residents, with some raising concerns over the potential impact on the town's character, the commercial loss of a hotel and concerns over anti-social behaviour.
One objector, Mr Davies, said the conversion of similar properties "had a devastating effect on the local community around them".
