Plans to turn a historic building into a 22-bedroom shared house have been blocked by the council.
Permission was refused for the conversion of grade II-listed Matthew Murray House on Water Lane in Holbeck.
The project would have seen en suite rooms with shared dining rooms and a communal kitchen created in the first and second floors of the 19th century building. Part of the ground floor of the site, a former foundry workshop, would have been turned into a sandwich shop.
A planning officer’s report said people living in the House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) would have no say over who they were sharing with. It said: “The initial 22 occupants and any future occupants will all be strangers to each other on separate letting agreements.”
The report said disputes between tenants would be likely in such a large HMO. It said:
“The communal rooms on the first and second floors are proposed to serve as combined living spaces to relax in. The 22 tenants will no doubt be from dissimilar backgrounds who have various work patterns and lifestyles. Therefore it is likely the 22 tenants will be carrying out different household activities at varying times of the day and night.”
Leeds City Council said 15 objection letters were received from people living nearby.
One said: “HMOs tend to have a high turnover of tenants, and the development would lead to more noise, rubbish and general disruption for those living nearby.”
The report said an application for change-of-use planning permission for the site, park of Holbeck Conservation Area, was formally refused.
This post was written by Dom Mort, Local Democracy Reporter
Photo: Google
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