Plans to create 16-bed HMO in Hilsea are turned down by Portsmouth City Council

Developer Scott Baker Properties had been hoping to secure planning permission for the redevelopment of the former Mayfair Homecare building in London Road which it said would boost housing supply for young people.

More than a dozen people had submitted objections to the scheme, warning it would have a 'significant detrimental effect' on the area, before the council refused the application on Friday (September 30).

'The proposed development, by reason of its cramped layout, excessive roof additions to the rear and intensive use of the site, would not result in a good standard of living environment for future occupiers of the development,' council planning officers said.

It said that the rooms would have a 'poor outlook and available light, an unacceptable sense of enclosure, and excessive noise, disturbance and loss of privacy'.

Concerns were also raised that the arrangements proposed for emptying bins were not suitable for the site.

In a statement made before the decision, the developer said all of the rooms met living standards and that the development was ‘in keeping with the surrounding area’.

‘The proposed HMO use would satisfy a unique housing demand for affordable accommodation for young people and those on lower incomes,’ it said. ‘The proposal would make optimal use of the existing property whilst modernising it in a sympathetic manner.’

Each of the 16 rooms would have had en suite facilities and two communal areas with kitchen facilities were also included in the plans.

However, its claims were disputed by the objectors who described the proposal as 'madness'.

Kirby Road resident Christopher Trevellick said there were also concerns about the impact it would have on parking in the area, having included no provision, although council highways officers said the impact would be minimal.

'A 16-bedroom HMO will also add more residents to an area which already has a high density of housing with flat conversions, and it would set a precedent for future planning applications of a similar nature in the area,' he said.