Derbyshire ‘prison cell’ bedsit plans set to be thrown out

Plans for 11 bedsits in a Derbyshire town, previously compared to a “prison yard with 11 cells”, are set to be rejected for a second time.
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Adam Colley of Erewash Estates has applied to turn a home in Springfield Gardens, Ilkeston, into 11 bedsits.

Of these bedsits, six would be in the house itself and five in a planned building to the rear of the property.

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Erewash Borough Council’s planning committee is set to decide on the application on Wednesday, February 2, with the authority’s officers recommending refusal for a second time.

The council has already rejected one application to turn the property into flats, due to the lack of space provided for would-be residents presenting “unacceptable living conditions”.The council has already rejected one application to turn the property into flats, due to the lack of space provided for would-be residents presenting “unacceptable living conditions”.
The council has already rejected one application to turn the property into flats, due to the lack of space provided for would-be residents presenting “unacceptable living conditions”.

This comes around two months after Erewash councillors rejected plans in early November, with Cllr Terry Holbrook comparing them to a “prison yard with 11 cells”.

The council ultimately turned the plans down due to the lack of space provided for would-be residents presenting “unacceptable living conditions”.

Now the applicant is back, having filed a tweaked application two weeks after the council refused the first iteration of the scheme.

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The new application differs from that refused by re-organising the layout of some bedrooms to reduce internal corridors and increase the amount of “habitable space”, and by relocating the proposed cycle storage to increase the outdoor yard space.

However, council planning officers still say the scheme “would fail to provide adequate internal amenity space for future occupiers” and represents an “over intensive” development of the site.

They say the use of the outdoor yard area by “11 unrelated residents and their visitors would result in an unacceptable level of noise and disturbance which would result in harm to the amenity that nearby occupants currently enjoy”.

Officers say the proposed bedsits would also result in the “significant overlooking” of the main living area and main bedroom of the property next door, who, likewise, would also be able to see into bedrooms in the proposed scheme.

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They detail that the six-bedsit property would provide around 111 square metres of internal floor area and the five-bedsit building would provide 88 square metres of internal floor area.

Officers say the Nationally Described Space Standard for a six-bed home two-storey home is 123 square metres of usable space, and for five-bed two-storey home it is 110 square metres.

They say “even as extended, the proposed six bedroom HMO (house in multiple occupation) falls 10 per cent below and the five bedroom HMO 20 per cent below this standard”.

Officers say this is not part of the council’s policies but provides an “objective assessment of the internal floorspace required to provide adequate residential amenity”.

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They conclude: “The shortcomings of both proposed HMOs in this respect are considered substantial evidence that the proposals do not provide adequate amenity for future occupiers.”

Finola Brady, agent for the applicant, had said: “The landlord is experienced and can deal with any tenancy anti-social behaviour issues through tenancy agreements.”

She said sound insulation would be installed in the walls between the property and the neighbouring property.

Ms Brady had said the proposal would retain the privacy of surrounding homes and not overshadow them – and would be a total refurbishment of the building.

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