Plans for TWENTY-EIGHT bed house 50 metres from Metrolink station

Revised plans for a massive 28-bedroom shared house at a former glass showroom have been published. The proposal intends to convert the former Finefit premises on Church Street West, Radcliffe, into a huge house of multiple occupation, (HMO), with single occupancy.

The 516 square foot building is 50 metres from Radcliffe’s Metrolink stop and close to the town centre. In January this year, Bury council threw out similar plans for the building which proposed a 35-bed HMO with potential double occupancy.

Those plans were rejected after dozens of neighbours objected. Among the reasons the council gave for refusal were that the development would ‘be seriously detrimental to the residential amenities of nearby occupiers, due to noise, disturbance and general activity’.

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Other issues were the lack of any off street parking and that the ‘density and layout as shown would lead to a poor arrangement of individual and shared accommodation’.

The revised application, submitted by Stephen Kerfoot, addresses the reasons for the previous refusal. A planning statement, said: “The number of bedrooms has been reduced from 35 to 28, all en‐suite.

“Larger communal internal and external areas included within the application. Communal areas will be to the rear of the property away from the highway.

“Walking access for the occupants is to both the front and rear, the main car‐park is to the rear along with bin storage. Noise to the front will be to a minimum due to the nature of the layout of the said communal areas and off‐road parking.”

Bury council published 56 letters of objection to the earlier plans, with many saying the proposals were out of keeping with the area. Many citied increased pressure on services, infrastructure and parking.

A design and access statement in support of the latest plans, said: “The scale of development is complementary with neighbouring properties. The appearance of the development will be in‐keeping with the surrounding properties in terms of colour and texture of materials.

“We feel that the development proposal maintains a positive relationship with its surroundings and is appropriate to the context and character of the area.”