19 Lawson Road, Southsea, City Of Portsmouth, PO5 1SD

change of use from house in multiple occupancy (Class C4) to house in multiple occupancy for seven people (Sui Generis)

Authority: Portsmouth City Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Leonard S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the appeal scheme provides appropriate living conditions for future occupants, having regard to communal living space provision
whether the appeal scheme provides adequate mitigation for the Solent Special Protection Areas (SPAs)

What decided it

The proposed layout would not provide adequate communal dining space for 7 residents due to the functional separation of the kitchen/dining room from the lounge and the need to maintain circulation space for access to the rear garden and cycle storage, resulting in a cramped and dysfunctional dining arrangement.

Framework references: 130

Plan policies cited: Policy PCS23 of The Portsmouth Plan (2012)

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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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.
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