Six-bed HMO approved on Russell Street near town centre

An application was submitted to change the use of a two-storey terraced house in Heaton into a house for a maximum of six people.

The three-bed property at 15 Russell Street will gain three additional bedrooms to accommodate the change.

Each bedroom will be fitted with an ensuite, and the plans include a combined kitchen and dining area and a sitting room in the basement.

At the suggestion of planners, the applicant agreed to enlarge the lightwell which serves the basement sitting room.

Bolton Council planning officers noted that the change would have been permitted without planning permission before HMO rules were tightened in June.

The officer’s report said: “It is understood that HMOs do sometimes have a higher turnover of residents than other types of property tenure which can have an impact on the sense of community.

“Properly managed, however, it is not uncommon for tenants to remain in HMOs for longer periods of time, thus enabling them to play an active role in their local communities.”

They attached “proper management of the property” as a requirement of the licence.

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They noted that there are around six other licenced HMOs within 0.5km of the property, but none of these are on Russell Street, and officers said they’re satisfied the plan would not lead to an “over proliferation of HMOs within the local area”.

Planners found all of the bedrooms to “comfortably exceed” minimum space requirements and the communal areas to provide enough space for all six people.

They concluded that the HMO is acceptable and approved the application on Tuesday (December 16).