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Newham councillors have been advised to refuse a plan to convert a Victorian villa so that up to 56 people could be crammed into what’s mooted as a ‘co-living space’.
Planning officers have recommended that the council's local development committee turns down the mooted development in Forest Gate at its meeting this evening (6.30pm, Monday 28 October 2024), as the rooms are, in their view, too small and are of ‘poor quality’.
The applicant, Dilawar Properties Ltd, is looking to transform Aram House, at 217 Romford Road in Forest Gate, into a 28-unit ‘co-living accommodation’ with each room including a double bed, a kitchenette and an en-suite shower room plus toilet.
Co-living spaces are an alternative form of accommodation and are similar to a ‘large scale’ HMO (House in Multiple Occupation), but with a focus on community living.
The property has already been divided up and currently consists of 16 rooms which are for young and vulnerable people who are being supported by Sovereign Residential Housing.
Should the proposal go ahead, the property would be redeveloped to include a part three-, part two- and part one-storey rear extension as well as a roof extension to create the 28 co-living rooms which planning officers believe will be occupied by 56 residents.
According to planning documents, the size of each the 28 co-living rooms range from 14.7 to 22.3 square metres, which officers say goes against London Plan guidance for ‘large-scale, purpose-built, shared living’ as bedrooms should not measure less than 18, or over 27, square metres.
They are also concerned that the size of each room could be detrimental to future residents’ long-term health and wellbeing and that several rooms would not receive enough sunlight throughout the year.
Dilawar Properties also wants to build a communal games room and a lounge/reception room for residents and a kitchen that would be located on the first floor.
Planning officers have opined that the kitchen’s proposed size of 12.3 square metres falls significantly short against HMO standards and East London HMO Guidance states the kitchen needs to be at least 57.5 square metres.
Council officers have advised that having one kitchen to serve potentially 56 residents could result in substandard living accommodation, and they are worried that residents' rooms will be treated as ‘self-contained homes’, which goes against the London Plan.
They added: “Whilst accepted that each unit is provided with kitchenette facilities, the London Plan stipulates that co-living accommodation rooms must not function as self-contained homes. With a lack of suitable kitchen facilities to serve future residents, officers consider there would be potential reliance on individual kitchenette facilities.”
Other reasons put forward for refusal include the development failing to provide enough wheelchair accessible rooms and that the extension would be overbearing for neighbouring properties on Romford Road. The committee will hear and decide on the plans this evening (Monday 28 October 2024).
