Almost 40 student bedrooms in former back gardens are set to be approved despite claims roads in the area are "choked" by parked cars. Josef Dolan, of Arthur Developments 2 Ltd, hopes to build the 38 rooms on land off Frederick Street in Loughborough.
Charnwood Borough Council (CBC) planning officers have recommended the authority's plans committee approve the proposed two blocks of student accommodation despite only two parking spaces being included in the plans. But more than 30 residents of nearby streets have objected to the scheme for a site that is in an area with a high population of students.
One objector said some residents on the road are "already sandwiched between student HMOs", while another described nearby streets as "choked" with parked cars during term time. They added that people "struggle to find spaces" in the evening, despite paying for an annual residents' parking permit.
Councillor Sarah Goode called the junction of Frederick Street and Arthur Street "fraught", saying refuse collectors have sometimes been unable to access nearby cul-de-sacs due to cars being parked in "any vaguely viable space". She added: "'Community' is a material consideration. Non-permanent residents in an area dilutes the feeling of community. This is not something that can be measured by a report."
But planning documents submitted to the council by the applicant claim the occupants would not be reliant on cars. "This reduced level of parking accords with the aspirations for sustainable travel within the local plan, and the site is in a very sustainable location - within walking distance of the town centre and regular bus services to the train station so future occupiers would not have to have the use of a car to live at this property." Cycle storage is also included in the proposals.
A report by planning officers prepared for committee members said the impact on traffic and parking is considered to be "acceptable". It said the highways team at Leicestershire County Council believes the cycle parking spaces and clauses in tenancy agreements banning cars apart from moving days mean there wouldn't be a "severe impact".
If approved by CBC, there would be seven flats spread across the two blocks, with four to seven bedrooms in each flat. The site comprises land that was once part of the back gardens of eight houses on Frederick Street and Arthur Street.
The council's plans committee will meet to decide whether to award planning permission in the town's Woodgate Chambers on Thursday evening (December 18). The meeting can also be watched live online.