PLANS to convert a Bournemouth town centre visitors’ hostel into a 15-bed house in multiple occupation have been refused due to the impact on tourism.

The HMO proposal for Wessex House in Fir Vale Road was tabled by Coastline Homes Bournemouth.

BCP Council planning officer’s have rejected the scheme under delegated powers citing a raft of reasons for refusal.

In refusing the plan for Wessex House, an officer’s report said: “The proposal would result in the loss of tourism accommodation in the form of a good-sized building with a strong offer in terms of location and facilities, where it has not been satisfactorily demonstrated that the business is no longer viable and has no reasonable prospect of continuing.

“This loss of tourism accommodation will harm the function of the area in relation to the tourism industry.

“Furthermore, the loss of the ground-floor communal living space would result in a cramped and congested living environment within the HMO.”

The local authority officer report said an over concentration of HMO properties can cause tensions in some areas.

They said university and coastal towns experience high rates of HMO uses and therefore higher rates of associated negative impacts on the amenities of residents and on the character of the area including anti-social behaviour, imbalanced and unsustainable communities and pressures on parking provision.

HMOs are properties where three or more tenants live in the building forming more than one household and they share toilet, a bathroom or kitchen facilities.

Coastline Homes Bournemouth’s scheme sought permission to convert the hostel at Wessex House into a large HMO with shared facilities.

The plans included using the basement area as two rooms, which had previously been given permission to operate as a living space. This would have reduced the space available to occupants when not in their rooms, the planning officer’s report said.

The officer said no existing floorplans or supporting statements were submitted as part of the application and the applicant had not taken the opportunity to seek pre-application advice from the local authority.

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