- Decision
- dismissed, 18 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: J Somers
- Authority
- Coventry (West Midlands)
- Appeal reference
- 6011661
- Application reference
- PL/2025/0002120/FUL
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Change of use of terraced dwelling (C3) to C4 HMO
- Site context
- inside settlement
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- No Framework version cited
- Determinative policies
- s38(6)
- Development plan policies
- Coventry HMO DPD HMO1, HMO2, HMO3, HMO4, Coventry Local Plan AC3, Coventry Connect SPD
- Main issues
- HMO concentration; occupier living conditions; parking
Summary
A terraced house converted to an HMO in a Coventry street already at 30% HMO concentration. Dismissed on concentration, sandwiching, an undersized attic bedroom and missing parking evidence. The letter never mentions the National Planning Policy Framework. It is decided entirely on the recently adopted HMO DPD.
What made the difference
A recent, specific HMO development plan document with numeric thresholds. The inspector rejected the argument that concentration limits should not be applied "mechanically" (DL ¶6).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMO2 / HMO3 (Coventry HMO DPD) | conflict | 30.1% HMO concentration in 100m (threshold 10%); sandwiching of 21-25 between HMOs at 19 and 29 (DL 4-8) | |
| HMO4 (Coventry HMO DPD) | conflict | attic bedroom 6 fails usable-area standard below 1.5m head height (DL 9-11) |
Key facts
- Council records show 25 HMOs among 83 houses within 100m (DL 5)
- No independent parking survey; photographs insufficient (DL 12-14)
Related decisions
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.