A fresh application has been lodged to convert part of a shop on a busy Black Country road into a house of multiple occupation (HMO), after council planners branded earlier designs as "cramped" and "substandard".
Council Rejects Initial Over-Intensive Scheme
In November, Sandwell Council refused an application by WeStruct Consulting Engineers to turn a unit on Hagley Road, Smethwick, into an HMO for up to 14 people. The authority's planners were highly critical, stating the proposed living space was "inadequate" and the shared areas were "substandard."
A report detailed that, configured for twin occupancy, the bedrooms would have been too cramped, lacking adequate space for two people to eat meals comfortably. It concluded the internal layout was "unnecessarily over intensive and unacceptable."
Redrawn Plans Aim for Higher Standards
The new, scaled-back proposal seeks to convert the building into a five-bedroom HMO, with each room for single occupancy only. A statement with the application asserts that all rooms will exceed minimum size thresholds, aiming to provide a "higher standard of comfort and usability."
It specifies that future tenants would be unrelated, working-age adults in employment or full-time education, and that the property would not be used for vulnerable persons, care-leavers, ex-offenders, or as supported housing.
Retail Frontage and Parking Concerns
The earlier scheme also faced rejection for planning to replace the ground-floor shop, which would have broken up the continuous parade of retail units along Hagley Road. The council said this would harm the area's visual character and retail function.
The new application retains the ground-floor commercial unit. While parking shortages in the area were noted, the council's previous refusal was not based on this issue. The primary objections centred on poor living conditions and the impact on the shopping parade.
The fate of the revised plans now rests with Sandwell Council's planning department, which must decide if the new design adequately addresses the serious concerns raised about its predecessor.
