- Decision
- allowed, 11 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: B Plenty (on recommendation of Appeal Planning Officer E Clifford)
- Authority
- Dudley (West Midlands)
- Appeal reference
- 6009469
- Application reference
- P25/1190
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Shopfront alterations and conversion of upper floors to 4-bed C4 HMO
- Homes
- 1
- Site context
- conservation area, listed building setting, inside settlement
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- P5
- Development plan policies
- Dudley Local Plan 2026 DLP17, DLP39, Black Country Core Strategy 2011 ENV3, Dudley Residential Design Guide 2023
- Main issues
- crime and fear of crime
Summary
A four-bed HMO above a shop in Stourbridge town centre was allowed. There was no evidence that the HMO would raise crime or the fear of crime. The external works were found to enhance the conservation area and the setting of listed buildings.
What made the difference
The evidence gap. Area crime statistics and objectors' assumptions about HMO occupiers did not establish a link to the proposal (DL ¶9, 12).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| P5 | pass | code mapped by harvester — area crime above national average, but no evidence linking HMOs to crime; fear of crime "subjective conjecture" (DL 9-13) | |
| HE9 | benefit | code mapped by harvester — reinstating historic second-floor openings enhances CA and setting of Grade II Town Hall; ss66/72 cited (DL 14-16) |
Key facts
- Newly adopted Dudley Local Plan 2026 applied (DL 4)
- Parties not re-consulted on Framework (DL 3)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.