®Planning appeal decision
1 AMBLESIDE DRIVE, SOUTHEND-ON-SEA, ESSEX, SS1 2UT
- Authority
- Southend-on-Sea City Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Sylvester G
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the development provides satisfactory living conditions for occupants of the HMOs having particular regard to: (i) internal floor space in the ensuite bedrooms and communal areas; (ii) the outlook from the ground floor kitchen; and (iii) the provision of outdoor amenity space for the HMO on the upper floors
What decided it
The development provides unacceptably poor living conditions for occupants through inadequate shared dining space, oppressive kitchen outlook, and absence of outdoor amenity space for upper floor occupants, which are adverse impacts that significantly and demonstrably outweigh the housing benefits even under the tilted balance.
The housing benefits and economic/social contributions of the development were outweighed by the unacceptably poor living conditions provided to occupants, which are contrary to Framework requirements for well-designed development with high amenity standards, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development does not apply.
Framework references: 11, 73, 124, 125, 129, 135, 139
Plan policies cited: DMD Policy DM1, DMD Policy DM3, DMD Policy DM8, DMD Policy DM9, CS Policy CP4, CS Policy KP2
Judgments cited: Holborn Studios Ltd v The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823 (Admin)
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.