- Decision
- allowed, 11 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: L Gardner
- Authority
- Redbridge (London)
- Appeal reference
- 6009905
- Application reference
- 3511/25
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Single storey rear extension and change of use of dwelling to C4 small HMO for 6 people
- Site context
- inside settlement
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- HO7
- Development plan policies
- Redbridge Local Plan 2018 LP5, LP26, LP29, LP39, London Plan 2021 H9, D6
- Main issues
- family housing supply; living conditions; Epping Forest SAC
Summary
Change of use of a four-bed house to a six-person C4 HMO with a rear extension. Allowed. The loss of one family home was "marginal" in a street still more than 90% single dwellings, and the inspector found "no specific conflict with Policy HO7 of the Framework" (DL ¶11). The council's living-conditions objection rested on a misreading of the plans as three self-contained units.
What made the difference
Low local HMO concentration and a plan-reading error by the council. The Framework was cited only through HO7 (housing for different groups). An occupancy cap was refused as "not realistically enforceable" (DL ¶29).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| HO7 | accord | no conflict — loss of one 4-bed family house marginal; HMO adds housing choice (DL 10-11) | |
| LP5 (Redbridge LP) | accord | family-housing policy read as a whole supports a range of homes; >90% of The Drive remains single dwellings (DL 10-11) | |
| N6 | neutral | Epping Forest SAC — no new dwelling so no likely significant effect; no mitigation contribution needed (DL 18); code mapped by harvester |
Key facts
- Council refused treating plans as three self-contained units (bedrooms labelled "units" with kitchens); appeal plans re-annotated (DL 2-4)
- Over 90% of properties along half of The Drive remain single dwellinghouses (DL 10)
- Occupancy-cap and no-conversion-of-communal-space conditions rejected as unenforceable/unnecessary (DL 28-29)
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.