4 Clifton Road, Liverpool, L6 4BQ

Change of use from 6 x flats (use class C3) to HMO (sui generis) for 12 x bedrooms with en suite accommodation and communal kitchen/dining and lounge area), refuse storage area and secure cycle storage

Authority: Liverpool City Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Caine M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposed development on the living conditions of the occupiers of neighbouring dwellings with specific regard to noise disturbance
whether or not the proposed development would represent the unacceptable loss of a family dwelling

What decided it

The harmful effect on the living conditions of neighbouring residents through noise disturbance arising from the intensity of use by eight unconnected individuals outweighed any benefits and resulted in conflict with the development plan.

The benefits of providing housing choice and improving the appeal building were outweighed by the harm to neighbouring living conditions through noise disturbance.

Framework references: 48, 130

Plan policies cited: Policy H7 of The City of Liverpool Unitary Development Plan (2002), Emerging Plan Policy H10, Emerging Plan Policy H11, Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 7: Conversion of Buildings into Flats and Bedsits (SPG7)

Judgments cited: West Oxfordshire District Council v (1) Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government (2) Rosconn Strategic Land Limited [2018] EWHC 3065 (Admin)

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.

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