Parking concerns fail to block plans to extend two homes in the same Leamington street

Parking concerns have failed to block plans to extend two HMOs (house in multiple occupancy) in the same Leamington street.

Neighbours of the Charlotte Street properties objected that surveys carried out in the middle of the night failed to highlight the problem which often fluctuated from day to day and year to year.

But councillors at this week’s Warwick District Council planning committee voted to approve the plans to extend numbers 6 and 14 adding two extra bedrooms to each of the semi-detached houses.

Gary Fisher, the council’s development services manager, explained that two parking surveys had been arranged by the applicant Sukhbir Singh over two evenings last October.

He told the meeting: “The guidance asks that these surveys take place when there is likely to be the most occupancy of car park spaces which is through the night. The survey identified that there was capacity on the street.”

Each of the four-bed properties has two parking spaces to the front and the extra bedrooms mean one extra space has to be provided either at the property or on the highway.

An objection from Charlotte Street neighbour Dan Chambers outlined some of the parking problems faced by residents.

In his email he said: “Having lived here since 2015, the parking situation is poor especially within university term time.

"While at night, when the surveys were taken, there were spaces, this varies significantly day to day and has been more problematic in the past than it is now, indicating that possibly not all current residents have as many vehicles and therefore we're not at full capacity. I would ask the council to properly consider the parking in the street.”

Mr Chambers also pointed out that there was a row of shops at the top of the road and a GP surgery and church at the other end putting extra pressure on parking spaces.

Ecology experts at Warwickshire County Council called for the decision to be deferred due to the lack of a preliminary bat roost assessment, particularly as there was evidence of nearby roosts.

But Mr Fisher said: “We take on board the advice of the ecology team but where we are looking at properties where we feel there is a reduced likelihood that bats will be present we take the approach to remind applicants of their duties.”

The plans were approved by nine votes to one.