PLANS to change a house in Northwich into an HMO have been scuppered due to concerns over parking.

Cheshire West and Chester planning officers rejected an application to transform the property on Winnington Street, Winnington, into a seven-room House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) and brick up the front door.

An HMO is a property which has individual bedrooms, but where residents usually share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.

The application site has two on-site car parking spaces accessed via the narrow unclassified road of Oldhams Hill, which also serves 11 other properties and a commercial yard.

Concerns had been raised regarding the use of the highway for parking, given what officers said was its narrow width.

Their report said: “The widest part of Oldhams Hill is a small section of approximately 5.5m to the side of the application property, from the boundary wall to the opposite edge of the road, where on street parking would reduce the width of the road down to approximately three metres.”

It said the need to look for parking provision could lead to ‘unlawful or indiscriminate parking’ in the area which could cause additional congestion with an adverse effect on vehicle and pedestrian safety.

It added: “Should it be repeated elsewhere in the local area, the cumulative adverse effect of such development without adequate car parking facilities on the functioning of the local highway network would be significant.”

The Parish Council had also submitted comments to the planning department stating there was insufficient car parking spaces for the number of occupants proposed.

The report said: “The proposed development would fail to provide adequate levels of car parking, and as a result, would increase the level of on-street parking to the detriment of highway safety and convenience of other road users in the area including emergency services and pedestrians, while failing to meet the needs of the residents on Oldhams Hill.”

The final refusal decision, added: “The local planning authority has sought to work with the applicant in a positive and proactive way, but it has not been possible to secure a development that will improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area.”