229 Church Hill Road, Birmingham, B20 3PH

Conversion from Hostel to house of multiple occupancy (HMO)

Authority: Birmingham City Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Williamson J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the development on the character of the area
whether the development affects the supply/availability of family housing in the area
whether the development provides satisfactory living conditions for occupiers, with regard to both internal and outdoor spaces

What decided it

The conversion would further erode the local housing mix in an area already significantly affected by similar conversions, remove supply of needed family housing, and fail to provide satisfactory living conditions for occupiers.

The harms to character, housing supply and living conditions were not outweighed by any material considerations, and the decision was made in accordance with the development plan.

Framework references: 130

Plan policies cited: Policy 8.24, Policy 8.25, Policy PG3, Policy TP30, Policy TP27, Policy TP35, Policy 8.23, Policy H2

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.