Plans entered for seven-bedroom HMO next to former Buckley church

Plans have been entered which could see a seven-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) created next to a former church in Buckley.

The application would result in the conversion of a property known as “Priest House”, which neighbours the Roman Catholic Presbytery on Brunswick Road.

The church itself is already in the process of being converted into two new homes, while an old scout hut on the opposite side of the proposed HMO is also being redeveloped for residential use.

Denbighshire-based EMW Developments, which is behind the latest plans, said the HMO would provide “high quality” accommodation for tenants.

Concerns have previously been raised in relation to other HMO applications in Flintshire regarding poor living conditions and anti-social behaviour problems.

However, in a statement put forward to Flintshire Council, architects acting on the company’s behalf said such issues were a licensing matter and not to be considered as part of the planning process.

They said: “The proposal would be to convert the property to provide seven bedrooms to accommodate a house in multiple occupation.

“The intensified nature of the use facilitated by the proposal would integrate seamlessly into the immediate street-scene as the two immediate buildings, the church and scout hut, are to be redeveloped to form four residencies thus reducing the footfall.

“The consensus of HMOs is that they bring problems in terms of living conditions.

“There are separate regulatory controls outside the ambit of planning considerations that tackle persistent noise nuisance or disturbance and antisocial behaviours.”

They added: “Concerns that tenants could cause these problems are not unique to HMOs, they equally could apply to other forms of residential occupation, and behaviours of this type are factors related to the particular occupants of the property and not the use.

“Planning controls are concerned with the use of land rather than the identity of the user therefore this should not be a planning consideration.”

Comments are currently being invited on the application via the council’s website, with a decision expected at a later date.

Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).