®Planning appeal decision
14 Highbury Villas, BRISTOL, BS2 8BX
described as “This property was owned by my parents and rented to students as a 7 bedroom HMO. It has been in use as a 7 bedroom HMO since 2008, as confirmed by Bristol Council’s private housing department, and an HMO license remains in place until December 2023…..I am now selling the property. The buyer wishes to continue renting the house to students as an HMO. However, the buyer’s lender has stipulated that we must acquire a lawful development certificate for existing use as confirmation that it can continue to be let as a 7-bed HMO
- Authority
- Bristol City Council
- Appeal type
- ldc · Lawful Development Certificate
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Allen M
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the appellant has proved on the balance of probabilities that use of the building as a HMO falling within a sui generis use began on or before 27 September 2013 and continued without significant interruption for ten years after the date of the change
What decided it
The Council's own HMO licensing records and supporting documentation (tenancy agreements, bank statements, and deposit protection evidence) established that the property had been continuously used as a seven-resident HMO for more than ten years from the relevant date.
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.