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Waverley Borough Council Committee System - Committee Document

Meeting of the Executive held on 08/11/2005
BEDSIT AT WEYHILL, HASLEMERE


Summary & Purpose
This report concerns a small bedsit attached to a shop owned by the Council at Weyhill, Haslemere. The bedsit poses a number of issues and it is considered that the best solution would be to cease using the bedsit as residential accommodation and incorporate it into the shop of ancillary accommodation. In order to do so, it will be necessary to seek planning permission for change of use.
APPENDIX N
WAVERLEY BOROUGH COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE – 8TH NOVEMBER 2005
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Title:
BEDSIT AT WEYHILL, HASLEMERE

[Ward Affected: Haslemere Critchmere
and Shottermill]
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Summary and purpose:

This report concerns a small bedsit attached to a shop owned by the Council at Weyhill, Haslemere. The bedsit poses a number of issues and it is considered that the best solution would be to cease using the bedsit as residential accommodation and incorporate it into the shop of ancillary accommodation. In order to do so, it will be necessary to seek planning permission for change of use.
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Social/community implications:

Although this proposal reduces the rented housing stock by one property, the property in question is very small indeed and would not provide satisfactory accommodation or meet the Decent Homes Standard.

E-Government implications:

There are no E-Government implications arising from this report.

Resource and legal implications:

The Council will need to determine how best to apply scarce resources to bring these properties into a lettable standard and meet Decent Homes Standard. The most cost effective option, in this case, would be to cease using the property for residential purposes.
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Introduction

1. The Council owns a bedsit that is attached to a shop at Weyhill, Haslemere. These properties are held in the Housing Revenue Account. A location plan is attached at Annexe 1.

2. The bedsit comprises a small bedsitting-room, a kitchenette and a bathroom. As members will know, the Government requires public sector landlords to meet the Decent Homes Standard by 2010. In order to meet the Decent Homes Standard, one of the requirements is that kitchens should have satisfactory preparation space and kitchen units.

3. The bedsit at Weyhill is very small indeed. The kitchenette has extremely limited space and because of its size, it will not meet some of the requirements of the Decent Homes Standard.

4. It would be possible to increase the size of the bedsit by incorporating some of the shop space into the bedsit. This, however, would require the co-operation of the current shop tenant, could reduce the viability of the shop because of a decrease in workspace, and would require planning permission. Informal advice from the Planning and Development Department is that the Local Plan seeks to retain viable employment opportunities and shop facilities and a planning application to reduce the size of the shop in order to increase the size of the bedsit is unlikely to receive approval.

5. The alternative approach would be to seek planning permission for a change of use for the bedsit to cease to be residential and be incorporated as ancillary office/space/accommodation for the shop. Whilst, again, the Planning and Development Department is loathe to see the loss of residential accommodation, in these particular circumstances, it is considered that the loss of a very small bedsit outweighs the potential for making shop premises potentially unviable.

6. The costs of incorporating the bedsit into the shop are relatively modest in comparison to incorporating part of the shop into the bedsit.

Recommendation

It is recommended that a first resolution in accordance with Regulation 3 of the Town and County Planning (General) Regulations 1992 be made to allow a planning application to be submitted for a change of use of the bedsit at Weyhill, Haslemere from residential use so that it can be incorporated into the shop premises.

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Background Papers (DoH)

There are no background papers (as defined by Section 100D(5) of the Local Government Act 1972) relating to this report.

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CONTACT OFFICER:

Name: James Remnant Telephone: 01483 523078
E-mail: jremnant@waverley.gov.uk


_1102101839_001.pdf
Comms/executive/2005-06/159