Conversion of Properties to Flats and Houses in ... - Wigan Council

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(i)Self contained flatThis includes converted self contained accommodation within a building whichhas its own external access and does not share any internal facilities. (it isimportant to note that this type of accommodation is normally covered bySection 345 of the 1985 Housing Act).(ii)House in Multiple OccupationThe Council has already accepted definitions produced by theBorough Environmental Health and Consumer Protection Officer which arebased on guidelines produced by the Chartered Institute of EnvironmentalHealth. These definitions are as follows and relate to Section 345 of the 1985Housing Act:-Category A -Bedsit. Properties occupied as individual rooms forexclusive occupation with some sharing of amenities, i.e.bathroom, WC and possibly kitchen. Occupants do not livetogether as a family or a single household. Each occupancywould be rented separately. This property is alsorecognised by having one or more of the following features:-- Meters (gas/electricity/water) in the occupants’ roomsor separate meters on premises.- Rooms other than original bedrooms used forsleeping.- Security locks on doors.Category B -Category C -Category D -Category E -Category F -Shared houses. A property let to a group of personswho lead related lives. The occupantsLodging Houses. Properties catering for lodgers on asmall scale and which have a resident proprietor. Lodgersdo not live as part of the main household and their mealsare provided in a dining room.Guest Houses. Bed and Breakfast Accommodation andHostels. Accommodation for people with no permanentplace of residence as distinct from an hotel which providesaccommodation for short periods. Would includeaccommodation where there is a mixture of permanentresidents and short term visitors.Registered Hostels recognised under the RegisteredHomes Act 1984. Hostels which provide board andpersonal care or properties which would require registrationif the required number of persons were resident.Flats. Within this category, the following terms arefrequently used:
Flatlet - comprises two habitable rooms(eg bedroom and combinedliving/dining/kitchen room).Flat - occupies one floor only and comprisesthree or more habitable rooms.Maisonette -occupies two or more floors andcomprises three or more habitableroomsThis report refers to Categories A, B and F(d)Standard of AccommodationBefore describing standards it is important to note the following:-(a)(b)The Borough Environmental Health and Consumer Protection Officer hasproduced a Policy on the basic standards to be applied to HMO’. These wereaccepted by the Council in 1993 and are deemed to be the minimum standardsfor HMO’s for the purposes of the Housing Act 1985 as amended by theLocal Government and Housing Act 1989. They form the basis of a programmeof enforcement being undertaken by the Borough Environmental Health andConsumer Protection Officer.The standards enforced by the Borough Environmental Health and ConsumerProtection Officer do not include any reference to car parking or externalamenity space.The Council has already accepted the space standards for Houses in MultipleOccupation which are enforced by the Borough Environmental Health Officer underSection 345 of the 1985 Housing Act. Members of the Planning and DevelopmentCommittee have expressed concern in the pat about the size of accommodation beingcreated by conversions which have been the subject of planning applications. In theinterests of consistency I would advise that the Borough Environmental Health andConsumer Protection Officer’s standards be adopted as guidelines when determiningplanning applications.The space standards applied are described in Appendix 1.(e)Amenity StandardsWith the increased intensity of use of a property which normally results from itsconversion to flats or HMO’s it is important to ensure that disturbance to existingresidents and any visual impact on the area, is minimised whilst at the same timeensuring the amenities afforded to occupiers of the converted property are satisfactory.
Page 1 and 2: Wigan Metropolitan Borough CouncilB
Page 3: (a)UDP PolicyPolicy H3B of the Unit
Page 7 and 8: (iv)Visual amenityAny proposals wil
Page 9 and 10: Appendix 1Space Standards for House
Page 11: (v)Kitchen1 person 4.0 m 22 or more

Conversion of Properties to Flats and Houses in ... - Wigan Council

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