Oswestry: Town councillors want 14-bed HMO plans rejected

The plans to turn a building at 13-17 Oswald Road from use as a commercial premises on the ground floor with self-contained

residential units on the first, second and third floors into two self-contained residential units at ground floor and the HMO across the first, second and third floors were submitted to Shropshire Council earlier this month.

Residents surrounding the property attended Oswestry Town Council's planning and development committee meeting on Monday to put forward their opposition to the plans.

Reasons given for their opposition included traffic pollution and a potential increase in drug use around the area.

Councillors agreed with the public in its opposition to the development.

Councillor Duncan Kerr said: "We should strongly object to this.

"We’ve heard from residents against it and it’s a problem area in the town.

"The plans for this are not a suitable development for the conservation area."

Former mayor Cllr Paul Milner added: "The area is completely wrong for a HMO – there is a problem with cars and there are more issues that this development will bring.

"There’s 14 rooms but how many people will there to be a room? We really do need to make a strong objection to this.

"It’s feeding on peoples’ misfortune that they’re having to go to a HMO when they can’t afford anything else."

Cllr Kerr added that he intended to call in the application, in his role as a Shropshire councillor, to ensure it will be determined by councillors, and he called for a recommendation for refusal.

Councillors agreed unaminously.

They also recommended refusal on plans from Shropshire Council to place sponsorship signs on roundabouts near Harlech road and Llwyn Road on the grounds of size and safety.

But they did back plans for Oswestry Dental Centre in Willow Street to change its first floor offices into medical use, and to create more treatment rooms, as well as staff space and wheelchair access.