A landlord has secured planning permission to turn a living room into a sixth bedroom in a shared house after taking the case to appeal.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee allowed Mishbec Ltd to convert the four-storey building at 141 Elm Grove into a five-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) in December 2021.
But councillors refused permission when the company’s application to convert the shared living space in the basement into a sixth bedroom went before the committee in April.
Mishbec, owned by Patrick Eraut, 54, previously secured permission to create a five-bedroom HMO on the casting vote of Green councillor Leo Littman, who chairs the Planning Committee.
At the April meeting, Councillor Littman voted to refuse permission for the sixth bedroom after hearing comments from colleagues who shared their concerns about the loss of shared living space.
Planning inspector Doug Cramond agreed with the recommendation made by council planning officials that the committee should have granted planning permission.
Mr Cramond said: “While there may have been hesitance by some members of the Planning Committee over the suitability of the lower front room as a bedroom, this was not included in any planning application decision paperwork.
“I would just confirm that, given all the evidence included in the application and my site visit, I would agree with officers of the council who concluded that the room was suitable for use as a bedroom in its own right.”
Mr Cramond did not award costs to Mishbec because the committee had judged the application on “its own merits”.
He said: “I surmise that the members considered a comprehensive report and dealt with the plans before them, along with all other material considerations including substantive representations, and reached a not wholly illogical decision on the scheme.
“The suitability of the use of the ‘basement’ front room as a bedroom was not entirely clear cut in amenity terms, and the appropriateness of communal space will always have a degree of subjectivity.”
Good grief. I’m so sad that these homes are being divided into bare minimum shelter for people. People deserve better housing than this.
The convoluted wording in this report suggests that shrouding the activity in ambiguity suits those who gain from the decision. Shame on the authorities who allow such.