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Bristol City Council war on bedsits suffers early blow as student house decision overturned on appeal
Bristol City Council’s war on the rise of bedsits has suffered an early blow after a planning inspector overturned a decision to reject student housing.
A new policy, approved by cabinet in November 2020, was intended to ban family homes being converted into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in neighbourhoods where there were already ten per cent or more.
Campaigners hailed it as a victory against the expansion of universities and increase in student shared properties across the city, which many fear is breaking up communities and pushing locals away.
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But in the first serious test of the new rules, laid out in a supplementary planning document (SPD), which also prevents family homes being “sandwiched” between bedsits, a government inspector has delivered a setback.
The Planning Inspectorate upheld an appeal by a developer against the council’s decision to refuse permission for a six-bedroom HMO behind 85 Whiteladies Road in Clifton Down.
In September, development control committee members went against the advice of officers who recommended approval and said the site was ill-suited to a traditional residential use.
Officers said there would not be a harmful concentration of bedsits, even though one in eight properties within 100 metres were HMOs.
The inspector’s ruling to grant planning and listed building consent, including partially demolishing a rear modern brick wall, said: “Some interested parties have asserted that the proposal would result in a harmful ‘sandwiching’ effect.
“However, this has not been argued by the council which, instead, is concerned over the amount of HMOs within this part of Clifton.
“The proposed development would exceed the 10 per cent threshold specified within the SPD. This tends to weigh against granting planning permission and suggests that there may be an existing harmful concentration of HMOs within the area and that the proposal would exacerbate this harmful impact.
City council head of development management Gary Collins called it a “disappointing decision”. Photo: Jon Myers
They added: “However, there is no cogent evidence before me to demonstrate any harm to the mix and balance of housing/population or to the character or amenity of the local area as a consequence of the existing proportion of HMOs.
“Moreover, it has not been demonstrated how, if at all, the proposed development would exacerbate any existing harmful impact, including any reduced social cohesion or community engagement, as a result of any ensuing demographic imbalance.”
The inspector said the plans would not result in the loss of existing family or other housing or reduce the choice of homes in the area, while the settings of Grade II-listed buildings at 83, 85 and 87 Whiteladies Road would be preserved.
City council head of development management Gary Collins told committee members on Wednesday, February 10: “While a disappointing decision, it was a pointer in terms of how that inspector considered the appeal.
“So as and when we have more appeals on this subject and the usage of the new SPD, that will play into our thinking and recommendations of other decisions.”
Adam Postans is a local democracy reporter for Bristol.
Main photo: Jon Myers
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