A DECISION on whether to allow a city B&B to become a 13-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) has been delayed after neighbours raised concerns about parking.

The planning application would see Wyatt Guest House in Barbourne Road transformed into the apartments with a number of shared facilities.

The guest house, which sits in the Shrubbery Avenue conservation area and is designated as being within an archaeologically sensitive area, is split over four floors all of which are proposed to be converted.

Alistair Graham, representing the St George’s Square residents association, asked the council to use its own policies on HMOs and reject the plan.

Mr Graham said: “It’s not just 12 people in occupation, it’s up to 19. There is no supporting evidence that the occupants will be students or therefore that none of them will have cars or there will be no visitors with cars."

A resident parking scheme, which takes in St George’s Square, parts of St George’s Lane North and the part of Barbourne Road where Wyatt Guest House sits, was set up in 2013 which means the new HMO would be entitled to be part of the scheme.

Mr Graham said up to three occupants of the new HMO could have permits as well as up to 80 visitor permits each per year allowing 12 hours of parking which would encourage the scheme to be abused.

A number of residents in St George’s Square also sent objections to the plan.

The planning committee also looked for greater clarity over whether the new HMO would push the number of HMOs in the area past a council limit.

The council’s planning policy on HMOs allows for no more than ten per cent of homes within a 100 metre radius to be classed as HMOs and approving the application would push the percentage up to 9.5 per cent.

Cllr Joy Squires asked if the numbers for calculating the HMO percentage could be provided.

Council planners were satisfied the other HMO policies - which ensures no more than two adjacent properties are HMOs and supports applications for HMOs unless it has a negative effect on parking, results in insufficient space for waste and recycling or is out-of-keeping with the character of the area - were not broken.

A decision was deferred by the city council’s planning committee at a meeting last Thursday (May 23).