An application to turn a former care home in Ramsgate into an 11 room house of multiple occupation.
The Newlyn Residential Home in Cliftonville Avenue was rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission in April this year and ownership of the site has since been taken on by the Southern Investment Property Group.
The home had cared for up to 13 older people, people living with dementia or a sensory impairment and people with a physical disability.
The HMO proposal includes 3 car spaces and 20 cycles spaces.
Several objections were lodged against the HMO proposal citing parking issues, concerns over a fire risk for the resident of a proposed loft room and inadequate waste facilities.
One objection says: “The HMO is not in keeping with local area as Cliftonville Avenue is a quiet street housing mainly elderly and young families. With increased occupancy comes increase in risk to antisocial behaviour and increased crime.
“HMOs tend to be used for temporary accommodation which poses a risk to vulnerable adults and families as well as the children at both schools as It is unclear who the HMO will rent to. The change of use will also mean a loss of employment opportunities which the care home provided prior to it closing.”
Approval for the application was published today (November 23).
In April 2006, the Housing Act 2004 introduced mandatory HMO licensing aimed at improving physical conditions and management standards in higher risk HMOs
Before that, in 2018, new rules for HMO licensing came into force. Most HMOs with shared or non-self-contained accommodation are now licensable if the HMO is occupied by five or more persons.
There are around 70 HMOs licensed in Thanet, as of February 2022.
