House in Preston conservation area will double the number of occupants it can hold

Planning officers at Preston City Council have given the go-ahead to the changes, which will double the number of bedrooms in the dwelling on Bairstow Street in Avenham.

They concluded that the plans would “not erode the character and appearance” of the area, because no external alterations to the building are proposed.

A heritage statement submitted on behalf of the Ipswich-based applicant behind the scheme claimed that it would create “high-quality accommodation for Preston’s young professionals…enhancing & modernising one of [its] historical townhouses”.

However, ten locals objected to the conversion, with some appearing to reject the claim about the target tenants for the property. A summary of the comments received by the city council included concerns that the proposal actually ran counter to the authority’s own aim of attracting a professional class to the city centre.

Objectors suggested that tenants in so-called “houses of multiple occupation” (HMOs) “create noise, rubbish, litter, fly tipping, drug use and anti-social behaviour” and that the properties themselves are poorly maintained.

Other concerns included a lack of parking in the area and the potential for the property conversion to cause an increase in “unsightly bins” on the street.

However, Lancashire County Council highways officers did not object to the plans, in spite of the possibility that they could lead to requests for up to eight new parking permits and a reduction in already limited vehicle space. It was presumed that the sustainable central location of the property will attract those without vehicles of their own.

Meanwhile, city council planning officers concluded that there is adequate space in the rear yard of the house to store the required number of wheelie bins. But the decision report noted that HMOs receive the same number of collections as other properties – and that the cost of any additional demand for rubbish removal would have to be covered.

The application reveals that each of the eight bedrooms created by the conversion will have an en suite bathroom, while the whole house – including basements – will be fully refurbished, with a new kitchen and communal living space created on the ground floor.