Controversial Oswestry housing plans resubmitted days after being rejected
Controversial plans to convert the upper floors of an Oswestry shop to a six-bed House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) have been resubmitted just days after they were rejected.
Your Property Ventures want the change to happen at the former Castle Inn on Cross Street.
The proposal would see two floors of the four-storey building converted into a space with six bedrooms and communal living areas.
But it did not go down well with people in Oswestry.
Along with 14 letters of objection, a petition was submitted that had 181 signatures.
And while Oswestry Town Council had not objected to the application, it also raised some concerns, stating that the issue of waste management had not been dealt with satisfactorily.
It added there would also be additional pressure on town centre parking and the development will result in increased traffic flow.
A report by planning officers at Shropshire Council found that “in terms of scale, the proposed accommodation could potentially be occupied by between eight – 12 persons, across three floors”.
Confirming the rejection on July 30, Tabitha Lythe, planning and development services manager, said: “The proposed six-bedroom HMO accommodation represents over-intensification of the site, which will result in harmful impact upon the amenity of future residents, in terms of poor layout/access arrangements, inadequate internal living accommodation and facilities, insufficient outside private amenity space, and inadequate waste/refuse management.”
However, Your Property Ventures resubmitted the proposal just five days later, with the application validated on August 11.
In a planning statement, Joe Salt, of Creative Planning, says that the clarification of the maximum occupancy (six people) and provision of a laundry room addresses the council’s concerns regarding over intensification, poor layout, and inadequate internal living accommodation and facilities.
A waste management plan also accompanies the application, in which Mr Salt addressed previous concerns raised.
He said: “A practical and consistent approach should be taken to the assessment of the provision of external amenity space within a town centre location and the access to the site.
“With consideration to recently approved nearby residential conversions, no external amenity space is required, and the access via an existing external staircase is acceptable.
“We ask the council to take a consistent approach when assessing these matters. If any perceived harm arises from these matters, they would need to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of granting permission, as the tilted balance is in play.
“The proposal therefore complies with all local and national planning policies and planning permission should be granted.”
A decision will be taken at a later date.
