Issue - meetings

Part Retrospective: change of use of building to 2 x Houses of Multiple Occupation (Sui Generis) at Unit 8, Century Court, Tolpits Lane, Watford.

Recommendation: that planning permission is refused.

The application was part retrospective for change of use of building to 2 x Houses of Multiple Occupation (Sui Generis) at Unit 8, Century Court, Tolpits Lane, Watford.

The Planning Officer reported that relevant policies relating to the application in the Batchworth Neighbourhood Plan 2023-2038 (BNP) included BW DE1 (high quality design).  As the proposal did not provide amenity space, and reason for refusal 2 related to poor living conditions, it was considered appropriate that reason for refusal 2 be updated to reference BNP Policy BW DE1.

The applicant spoke in favour of the application.

Committee Members asked questions about the details of the application which were responded to by officers.  The Committee’s discussions included the following:

·          The application site was located within an employment zone, and office space was needed within the district.

·          The proposal involved housing vulnerable people in a location which had no pavement and was not served by public transport.

·          The proposal met the national standard for sleeping room size for Houses in Multiple Occupation; however for other reasons as set out in section 4 of the report which included a lack of amenity space, officers were of the view that the quality of accommodation was poor, notwithstanding that the minimum sleeping space size had been met.

·          Concerns had been raised by Environmental Health in relation to fire safety, and there were safeguarding concerns in relation to the sharing of facilities by children with occupiers who were not of the same household.  It was recommended that these concerns should be escalated to the relevant authorities.

Councillor Lloyd moved, and Councillor Gazzard seconded, that the application be refused for the reasons set out in the report and with reason for refusal 2 being updated to include reference to the Batchworth Neighbourhood Plan.  On being put to the vote this was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED: that planning permission be refused for the reasons set out in the report and with reason for refusal 2 being updated to include reference to the Batchworth Neighbourhood Plan.