Proposed surgery conversion could add to Barnsley’s growing ‘bedsitter’ population

Conversion: This former GP's surgery could house at least nine tenants in future

Officially called Houses of Multiple Occupation, such homes offer private bedrooms and communal living areas but such arrangements have fuelled complaints from residents and some councillors, with concerns about issues such as parking.

Now Barnsley Council is being asked to approve a change of use of a surgery, which was accommodated in a three storey Victorian house in Park Grove to a nine bedroomed HMO.

Application details describe the property as “an attractive and well-proportioned stone-built end of terrace property that is located in a predominantly residential area”.

The application concedes: “An HMO may result in more activity than a single dwelling house as it would be occupied by individuals rather than a single household.”

But it argues: “This site has well established use as a doctors surgery which would generate significantly higher levels of activity in terms of visitors, traffic movements and noise and disturbance than an 9 bedroom HM0. The proposal would de-intensify the existing use of the building and would be beneficial to the amenity of the area in this respect.

“It is clear that the development would provide a high standard of housing amenity for future occupiers and would result in no adverse impacts on the residential amenity of existing occupiers in the locality. The development is entirely in accordance with local and national policy in this respect.”

Numbers of HMOs have increased in Barnsley in recent years, along with conversions of other buildings to provide non-traditional accommodation.

Plans were approved to convert the old Marlborough pub in Dodworth Road into flats at the start of this year, an application which had been contested by residents and some councillors.

At that meeting, they raised concerns about the scale of such accommodation in both Dodworth Road and Sheffield Road – two of the major routes into town.

A residents’ group has also been formed to campaign against such developments which they argue have a detrimental effect on traditional neighbourhoods.

A decision on the application will be made later.