Plans to turn a former Neath Port Talbot property into a six-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) have been approved by the local council.
The application for a change of use at a former residential property on New Road in Neath Abbey was submitted to the authority in February. It was given the go-ahead as part of officers' delegated decisions made between May and June.
The approval could now see the house, located on the A4230 close to the former Abbey Primary School, converted for use as a shared property.
Proposed Layout
A section of the report states: “The proposed plans include the conversion to an HMO that shall provide six bedrooms (three on the ground floor, two on the first floor, and one on the second floor).
“Kitchen and living areas will be provided on the lower ground floor, with toilets and bathrooms situated on the ground and first floors (with an en suite provided for the bedroom on the second floor).
“There are no proposed changes to the building footprint, and the floor levels are understood to remain the same as existing.”
Conditions and Context
Part of the decision notice from officers stated that the site must be limited to a maximum occupancy of six people at any time. It added that the development must begin no later than five years from the date the decision was made.
The approval comes after a series of HMO applications have been brought forward in the borough over the last year, in some cases leading to backlash from members of the public. These include separate plans to develop a five-bedroom HMO in Briton Ferry, which were approved on appeal to the Welsh Government despite initially being rejected by the local council.
