Another HMO in Coalville could be given green light despite fears traffic and parking is an ‘absolute hazard’

A Leicestershire town could be getting another HMO as plans to convert a former hair salon could be given the go-ahead.

The former Hair Lounge studio, located on Waterworks Road in Coalville, could soon become a four-bedroom HMO after a planning application was lodged with North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC).

The applicant, Daniel Johal, has also requested a single-storey rear extension to the small building to accommodate the four people.

According to reports, NWLDC’s planning committee is set to meet next week (Thursday, October 8) to decide whether to approve the plan after 15 objections were raised to the scheme, with officers recommending approval.

The LDRS previously interviewed residents on Waterworks Road who said they felt “outnumbered” by HMOs in the area.

Similar concerns have also been raised by those opposed to the scheme, who say the area “feels unsafe,” and by locals, who say they are discouraged from walking after dark.

Residents have also raised concerns around the number of cars, claiming it’s a “very congested street” and cars are “blocking” part of the road.

One resident said: “With a chip shop, a cafe, a hairdresser’s, and a corner shop, the traffic and parking are unacceptable.

“When turning into Waterworks Road or travelling down the street to turn onto Bardon Road, I have witnessed 30-plus road rage incidents of parked cars blocking drivers’ way.

“It is an absolute hazard”.

Another resident said: “Waterworks Road is already a very congested street. Several existing HMO’s, combined with households owning multiple vehicles, mean there is significant competition for on-street parking, with some households regularly having to park over 100m from their dwellings.

“There is often double parking, with cars blocking the road and pavements on both sides of the road, including over the (ignored) double yellow lines.”

Halford Jones Architecture, on behalf of Mr Johal, has said that the HMO will have “sufficient internal floor area and private en-suite facilities” while the communal kitchen provides “shared cooking and dining facilities for all occupants”.

Originally, the applicant wanted to turn the tiny building into four individual, self-contained flats, but NWLDC planning officers shot that down and introduced a single, shared kitchen and dining area to serve the residents.

It also said the accommodation would have two off-street parking spaces to the rear of the building as well as access to public transport, with the applicant arguing that it would provide “high-quality accommodation” to residents and help “reduce pressure for development elsewhere”.

NWLDC’s planning committee will meet next week, where it will decide to approve, defer or refuse the plan.