Dudley Council planners have thrown out an application for a five bedroom house of multiple occupation in Lye.

According to council officers, the property, Hayes Hill Villa at The Hayes, appears to have been in residential use since 2001 despite being designated for use as part of a car valeting business.

Planners had been asked for retrospective permission for a change of use into an HMO but  concluded the building was not suitable.

Delivering his verdict, Dudley’s head of planning, Carl Mellor, said: “The proposed house of multiple occupation would fail to provide adequate living conditions for future occupiers to the detriment of the residential amenities.”

In their report on the property, council officers said: “The proposed HMO would comprise of two bedrooms, with a shared bathroom, WC, shower and combined lounge and kitchen on the ground floor; with two bedrooms and lounge on the first floor, and a further bedroom within the loft.

“It is evident insufficient information has been provided to demonstrate the proposal would provide a good standard of residential accommodation to serve the future occupiers of the HMO.”   

Parking was also a problem: the building has no off-street parking spaces and planners concluded residents would be forced to park on the road which would impact on highway safety.

West Midlands Police also had concerns about the layout of the building and security arrangements.

The force’s designing out crime officer, Robert Manson, said: “There is no mention of parking arrangements, no mention of basic security arrangements.

“Is there CCTV, external security lighting, what kind of boundary treatment will be in place, access control?

“There are only two toilets/bathrooms which are both situated on the ground floor and there are two bedrooms on the first floor and in the loft space with no toilets/bathrooms.”