Brent Council's Planning Committee has approved the conversion of a house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Willesden, London. As a condition of approval, the developer must contribute towards a bike hangar in the area.
The committee granted planning permission for the conversion of a dwellinghouse at 81 Balmoral Road into a seven-bedroom, eight-person HMO. This was subject to the completion of a Unilateral Undertaking under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act. This legal agreement ensures a payment of £4,500 will be made for the provision of a bike hangar to be located on the public highway near the site.
According to the Planning Committee reports pack, the property is in a sustainable location. It has a Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) rating of 3 and is within walking distance of Willesden Green Town Centre. A PTAL rating of 3 indicates good access to public transport. The report also states that the proposal would provide an acceptable standard of accommodation, in line with policy BH7 of the local plan and Brent's HMO SPD.
The Planning Committee reports pack also stated that, based on Brent's HMO licensing records, none of the ten nearest properties to the application site are currently in use as HMOs. Therefore, the proposal would not lead to an over-concentration of HMO's, in accordance with criterion 'e'.
The supplementary agenda pack noted that two additional objections had been received since the publication of the committee report. However, the supplementary agenda pack stated that the matters raised within these objections had already been discussed in the main report and did not warrant a change in the recommendation.