Plans to turn former Wrexham bar and hotel into HMO receive approval

PLANS to turn a former bar and hotel in Wrexham into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) have been given the green light despite concerns it could hamper regeneration efforts.
An application to convert the old Soul Suite and Albion Hotel building on Pen y Bryn into eleven bedsits was originally refused by Wrexham Council last year.
However, officers recommended a revised scheme for approval ahead of a planning committee meeting held yesterday .
Members were told it was now acceptable as each room would only be occupied by one person rather than two.
But local councillor Alun Jenkins said he believed the scheme should be rejected again because of the loss of commercial space on the edge of the town centre.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats group said: “Going back to the early 2000s, there were always great concerns being expressed about the untidy and derelict appearance of this major route in and out of the town centre.
“That resulted in 2003 in the creation of the regeneration area.
“There were 24 high quality apartments created on the opposite side of the road with shops and offices at ground floor level.
“The building that we’re talking about is a particularly fine building in a lovely location next to a number of listed buildings.
“It would surely lend itself much more effectively to that sort of regeneration into high quality flats and the retention of some sort of commercial use on the ground floor.”
He also said it would have a negative impact on parking in the area.
An agent acting on behalf of the developer behind the proposals said the ground floor had been advertised both to let and for sale since 2017, but with little interest.
He added that the number of HMOs surrounding the building fell below the council’s maximum threshold of ten per cent.
Some councillors echoed the issues raised by Cllr Jenkins, as well as voicing worries about the quality of the accommodation.
Cllr Paul Pemberton said: “I can’t get my head around the fact that there’s no parking at all there.
“It’s not quality, it’s not what we want in Wrexham and I don’t think I can support it.”
In response, officers warned the authority was unlikely to win if an appeal was launched by the applicant.
Cllr Dana Davies said she could see no reason to reject the plans, despite expressing reservations.
She said: “In all honesty, I think the preference of this council would be quality accommodation and I don’t think we deem HMOs to be quality accommodation.
“I’m really disappointed because there’s nothing to support what we actually need in Wrexham and we need to change that, but as this application is in front of us, I’ve got no option but to move the officer’s recommendation whether I like it or not.”
A bid to refuse the proposals because of the over development of the site was lost with members voting by seven votes to six to approve the application with two abstentions.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter