Plans to turn a residential home in High Wycombe into a six-bed house of multiple occupancy (HMO) have been rejected after neighbour complaints about ‘impassable’ traffic and it being ‘out of character’ with the area.

Safeer Bashir submitted the plans to turn the two-storey property at 15 Conifer Rise into a six-bedroom HMO back in June, with amendments including a loft and garage conversion to facilitate its new function.

The proposal was met with opposition from neighbours in the quiet cul-de-sac who described it as a “family-oriented” area that already suffers from “impassable” parking and congestion issues which would be worsened by the new development.

And Buckinghamshire Council appears to agree, with planning officers at the local authority officially refusing Mr Bashir’s plans today, Monday, September 30.

The overruling of the new HMO is centrally due to its lack of onsite parking provision, with the council’s highways arm warning of “a high degree of on-street parking saturation” on Conifer Rise, “even outside the typical hours of residential demand”.

While concerns raised by Sarah Mustapha, whose family owns number 14 on the road, about “noise, disruption and a loss of natural light” from the development were not given weight by the council officers, her questioning of whether the “basic” house layout was “sufficient for six tenants” was also cited as a reason for the proposal’s refusal.

Buckinghamshire Council also said a lack of built-in storage and inadequately sized bedrooms in the HMO would “lead to a cramped and unsatisfactory environment” for the residents.

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Martyna March, who also lives on the residential stretch, sounded the alarm over “many added vehicles” from new occupants in the plans were approved – something that, alongside her description of the area as “family-oriented” and “out of character” for an HMO – was also considered by officers while weighing up the proposal.

Ms March said: “Both Conifer Rise and Carrington Road can be impassable at times, and this could significantly worsen with multiple residents.

“Many of the (existing) households have multiple vehicles and the street is used by a local taxi firm with minibuses, vans and cars parked (along it).”

According to council policy, each bedroom in an HMO should be provided with its own onsite parking space – but the plans for 15 Conifer Rise only show a capacity for two off-road bays, something that would be considered “to the detriment of public and highway safety”.

The council’s primary reasons for refusing the plans were its “insufficient parking provision and unacceptable living conditions for future occupiers”.

A proposal to turn a similar two-storey property on West Wycombe Road into a 12-bedroom HMO was approved by the council last month after suggestions that it would “provide much needed accommodation” in the area and “respect other similar uses in the vicinity”.