Converting a Bedford property to a house in multiple occupation (HMO) is an “appropriate opportunity” to bring a vacant building “back into viable use”, an applicant has said.
Bedford Borough Council has received an application to convert 11 Ashburnham Road from a four-bedroom house into a seven-bedroom HMO.
The plans are for three two-person bedrooms and four one-person bedrooms, as well as a kitchen and a lounge/dining area on the ground floor.
The applicants said that no alterations are proposed to the exterior of the building or its rear garden other than the provision of cycle stores and, if necessary, additional bins.
They added that the site is “sustainably located” in the heart of Bedford town and is within walking distance from both the railway station and town centre.
With regards to parking, the applicant suggests that occupants may be able to purchase parking permits for the neighbouring streets or they could purchase weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual passes for the nearby station car park.
The applicants said the proposed development would make a positive contribution to housing needs through the provision of a new HMO in a central location “where a four-bedroom home is far less likely to be desirable accommodation for families”.
And they say the change represents the “most efficient use of land and offers an appropriate opportunity to bring a vacant building, positioned within a sustainable location, back into viable use”.
More information can be found on the council’s planning portal, reference 24/02441/COU.
The overall consultation expiry date is Friday, January 24, 2025.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
