Housing Plan to turn former care home into shared houses refused

CONTROVERSIAL plans to convert a former care home in Fishponds into two giant shared houses have been refused.

- Adam POSTANS

A government planning inspector rejected the application for 19 bedsits at Chasefield House, Fishponds Road, on road safety grounds after ruling that cars leaving the site could reverse into pedestrians.

The developers bypassed Bristol City Council's planning department, which is in special measures, and applied straight to the Planning Inspectorate for permission to turn the pair of semidetached Victorian villas into 10and nine-bedroom houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

They would have been operated by Creative Independent Living, which provides housing and support for vulnerable people on behalf of the council's social services.

But the local authority, neighbours and Bristol Tree Forum objected to the proposals. Now, a government planning inspector has agreed and refused consent.

In their decision, they wrote: "The proposal would not provide sufficient safe parking on site leading to increased pressure on street parking that already experiences high levels of parking stress and highway safety problems exacerbating those problems.