# 60 Marine Road West, Morecambe

- **Decision:** allowed, 25 August 2026
- **Decided by:** Planning Inspector: Elaine Moulton
- **Authority:** Lancaster (North West)
- **Appeal reference:** 6006805
- **Application reference:** 25/00874/FUL
- **Procedure:** written-representations
- **Development:** Conversion of upper floors from flat to 8-bed HMO over retained commercial ground floor
- **Site context:** inside-settlement, conservation-area
- **Green Belt:** no
- **Framework applied:** August 2026 NPPF
- **Determinative policies:** N6, P3
- **Development plan policies:** Lancaster Local Plan Part Two 2025 DM1, DM13, DM29, DM61, Local Plan Part One 2025 EC5, HMO SPD 2020
- **Main issues:** living conditions, housing mix, habitats
- **Tags:** tier-2, hmo, habitats-mitigation, transitional-no-consultation, conservation-area

## Summary
An 8-bed HMO on the Morecambe seafront was allowed. The Council had not quantified HMO concentration within the policy's 100 m radius and had wrongly mapped the site inside a regeneration area. Bedroom sizes were resolved by capping occupancy at eight. A homeowner pack condition dealt with habitats effects and was cited to N6.

## What made the difference
The policy test is a local concentration count, and the Council produced no count. Area-wide SHMA figures on self-contained flats did not show HMO over-concentration (DL ¶¶18–19).

## Policy findings
- **P3: pass.** bedroom 8 fails couple standard in SPD so occupancy capped at 8 by condition; licensing standards material but less weight than SPD (DL 7-12)
- **N6: pass (significant weight).** homeowner information pack condition mitigates recreational pressure on Morecambe Bay SAC/SPA/Ramsar (DL 24-26)
- **HO5: pass.** Council did not quantify HMO concentration within 100 m; SHMA wider-area evidence and 2005 masterplan insufficient (DL 13-23)

## Key facts
- Council had wrongly placed the site in the West End Regeneration Priority Area
- Framework changes "not significantly changed" on these issues, parties not consulted (DL 5)

## Sources
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/published-document/7a1bdf10-e04c-4b3b-a4b1-48a76465aad7
- https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/comment-planning-appeal/appeals/6006805

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Source: https://planningdistilled.org/research/england/nppf-navigator/decisions/PINS-6006805.html

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