A FORMER care home in Burham-on-Sea will not become a new 37-bedroom HMO (home in multiple occupation) as permission has been denied Somerset Council.

Almo Holdings Ltd applied in January to convert the former Hillview Nursing Home (which closed in 2022) on Berrow Road into residential accomodation for several people.

It was proposed that the building's 37 rooms would be converted into studio bedrooms ranging from nine to 21 square-metres in size.

Somerset Council refused the plans on Thursday, April 19, and gave three reasons as to why the proposal was not acceptable.

The planning officer stated that the planned conversion from a care home to HMO would result in an 'unacceptable increase of noise, activity and disruption to the detriment of the amenities of neighbouring occupiers', and as a result, does not comply with policy D25 of the Sedgemoor Local Plan 2011-2032.

Secondly, the planning officer wrote that the building's 'private external amenity space' was not of adequate size for its proposed 37 occupants.

Lastly, it was stated that due to the small car park of just ten spaces, there would not be adequate manoeuvring space for vehicles, which would in turn result in 'vehicles reversing onto or manoeuvring on the highway, with consequent risk of additional hazard to all users of the road and interference with the free flow of traffic'.

At a Planning Committee Meeting on Wednesday, January 31, Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Councillors voted to oppose the plans due to several reasons.

The minutes from the meeting show the town council cited insufficient parking provision, overdevelopment/overcrowding, out of keeping, insufficient waste and storage area, and noise and disturbance from use, as reasons to object to the plans.

Also among the plans for the building were five communal kitchen/dining spaces, as well as five bath/shower rooms on the first floor, along with additional toilets.

There would have also been a mixture of different communal spaces, including two 'hot desk workspaces' on the ground floor, along with a large communal lounge and separate dining area.

Outside the building, a safe storage space for up to 38 bicycles was planned.

For more information on the plan to convert the Hillview Nursing Home building to an HMO, search the application number 11/23/00128 on the Somerset Council website.