Council refuses Burniston post office conversion into short-term let

​Nicholas Hugill’s plan to turn the former Burniston Post Office and Stores, at 29 High Street, into a dwelling used for short-term letting accommodation has been refused over concerns about the design of the scheme.

​The proposed external alteration included the replacement of the shop windows with smaller windows on the south and east elevations.

​The proposed accommodation would have been a one-bed dwelling.

​Burniston Parish Council objected to the application on the grounds “that this is not the correct location for a short-term letting dwelling due to there being insufficient parking provision”.

​Officers from the council’s housing team raised concerns about the size of the proposed bedroom, stating that it was too small as the minimum size for a single bedroom is 7.2sqm and a double is 12.5sqm.

​They added that the placement of the windows for the living area was poor, and the living room would not receive sufficient natural light.

​Council planners highlight that the proposed plans “have not been fully dimensioned and are not drawn to scale”.

​“The applicant states that the proposed floor space would be 41.15sqm. However, officers consider it to be approximately 39sqm, with a significant proportion of the space being hallways and corridors,” they added.

​In a planning report, officers noted that the proposed layout of the unit “would mean that the windows would be onto the hallways and corridors rather than the habitable rooms, and, in addition, it appears that the windows would be non-openable”.

​They said: “The proposed windows are not considered to provide sufficient light to the habitable rooms.”

​Planners said they also had concerns that the development would create a “cramped development resulting in a poor level of amenity for the occupants”.

​North Yorkshire Council concluded: “The proposal does not meet the minimum space requirements, and is compounded by the lack of adequate light, ventilation, and outlook.”

​The authority refused the application.