Eight-person large HMO at 50 Whitehill Road, Gravesend

What was proposed

The application sought to turn a six-person HMO into an eight-bedroom, eight-person large HMO, with bicycle and bin stores at the rear.

“SUMMARY REPORT Application Ref: 20251255 Site Address: Whitehill Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 5PG Application Description: Change of use from a small house in multiple occupation (Use Class C4) to an 8-bedroom, 8-person, large HMO (sui generis) and provision of bicycle and bin stores to the rear.”

“Application for a Proposed Lawful Development Certificate; single storey rear extension and loft conversion with rear/side dormer. Change of use from C3 dwellinghouse to C4 HMO. Certificate Granted 02.05.2025”

Officer report

The site

The property is a terraced house with a lawful certificate for use as a six-bedroom HMO, and no external alterations were proposed.

“50 Whitehill Road is a terraced property which has a Lawful Development Certificate for its change of use from a dwellinghouse to a 6 bedroom HMO. The operation of a dwellinghouse as a HMO for no more than 6 people is permitted development under Class L of Schedule 2, Part 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, as amended.”

Officer report

What officers recommended

Officers recommended refusal because the intensified use would harm neighbours, provide inadequate accommodation and lack ecological mitigation.

“The applicant has failed to provide any ecological evidence to inform a habitat regulations assessment to address the impact of the proposed development on the Thames Estuary and Marshes Ramsar site and Special Protection Area (SPA) or offered a financial contribution towards the identified mitigation measures to address the impact of the development on the SPA/Ramsar site.”

“As the proposal fails to comply with the aforementioned adopted Development Plan policies and the NPPF (2024) refusal is recommended.”

Officer report

Living conditions and neighbours

The proposed layout removed communal areas, left some bedrooms undersized, created an unsafe escape route and was expected to increase noise and disturbance.

“GBC’s Private Sector Housing have commented on this scheme advising that bedroom 3 and bedroom 5 would be undersized. If under 10m 2 , additional communal space would be required within the dwelling. As this proposal replaces the communal spaces with bedrooms, this could not be accommodated within the dwelling.”

“Overall, it is considered that the proposed conversion would not provide an adequate standard of living accommodation. The rooms provided are undersized, provide inadequate communal areas and unsafe escape routes, would be available for residents, as well as shared access of the external amenity space. Therefore, the proposal fails to safeguard residential amenity of future occupiers contrary to Policy CS19 (LPCS), Section 12 of the NPPF (2024).”

Officer report

Who spoke

The committee heard a speaker against the application and a Ward Councillor for Whitehill and Windmill Hill.

The vote

The committee resolved to delegate refusal of planning permission to the Head of Planning.

“RESOLVED that the application be delegated to the Head of Planning to REFUSE PLANNING PERMISSION”

Minutes