Wessex House, Fir Vale Road , Bournemouth , BH1 2JG

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect of the proposal on the availability of tourist accommodation in the town, having regard to the tourism industry in the area
• whether the proposal would provide satisfactory living conditions for future occupants, with particular regard to communal living space
• the effect of the proposal on the integrity of the Dorset Heathland, which comprises protected habitat areas

What decided it

The proposal failed on three independent grounds: loss of viable tourist accommodation contrary to Policy CS28, inadequate communal living space contrary to Policy CS41, and unmitigated adverse effects on Dorset Heathland integrity contrary to Policy CS33, with the latter also engaging the exception to the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 182.

The limited weight given to housing supply and the principle of HMO development was outweighed by the significant harm to tourism, unsatisfactory living conditions for future residents, and unmitigated adverse effects on protected habitats; the tilted balance did not apply due to the likely significant effect on habitats sites without appropriate assessment.