The building on Little Walter Street will have five en-suite bedrooms on the first floor, and a kitchen and communal area on the ground floor along with five bedrooms – one of which will be en suite – and two communal toilets. There’ll also be internal bike storage space.
The number of future occupants living there was a concern for neighbours, according to Cllr Gareth John, who represents the town.
He said the proposal “would present a level of occupation density that would be totally inappropriate for both the site and surrounding area” in an email to Carmarthenshire Council objecting to the planning application.
The Carmarthen Town North and South ward member said neighbours were worried about potential noise and disturbance, refuse storage issues and more pressure on what was “very limited” on-street parking provision.
“The property lies within a conservation area and whilst there are no external alterations proposed, the change of use to a 10-bed HMO (house of multiple occupation) will most certainly alter the character and balance of the street, which currently is predominantly family and small-scale residential in nature,” said his email.
A planning statement submitted on the applicant’s behalf said the scheme would result in a high-quality living environment for occupants and that shops, cafes, gyms, bus stops and car parks were all within walking distance. And all the rooms, it said, exceeded recommended minimum sizes.
The statement also said there was extant planning permission from 2023 to convert the building into three three-storey houses, which “establishes the principle of residential use”.
The council’s built heritage officer said the proposal would not have any detrimental impact on the North Carmarthen conservation area, and there was no objection from the highways team. Council planning officers went on to approve the application subject to conditions.
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