Old pub conversion plan sparks fury

The plan to convert a disused pub into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) has been rejected after sparking local fury.

Ashton’s Junction Inn closed in December 2023 due to a fall in the number of punters and has been empty ever since. Under plans tabled by Drakensburg Ltd, the building on the junction of Gorsey Lane and Mossley Road was earmarked for a transformation into nine en-suite  double bedrooms.

When news of the proposal came out, 130 letters of objection were tabled with Tameside Council. 

There were concerns the plans could ‘significantly alter the fabric of the neighbourhood’; it would not be in keeping with the area; it would be an overdevelopment; it would mean the loss of a valued community facility; it could create parking trouble locally; and that it could generate huge amounts of waste with nowhere to store it.

Objectors also worried the proposal could create an increase in crime and antisocial behaviour.

For Tameside Council’s planning officers, the building being on green belt land meant the threshold for approving the scheme would be high. Officers felt there would not be adequate space in the new HMO to make the living conditions anything other than poor.

Council papers read: “The lack of cooking facilities of the shared facilities in the proposed HMO of this size may foster a sense of isolation in residents, particularly if they are not minded to avail themselves of the shared facilities and confine themselves to the small bed-sitting room, and so fail to promote social interaction.

“It is considered that residents are likely to be confined to their room as the proportion of communal space within the property is poor, this applies equally to both internal and external space. 

“The layout of the kitchen is also somewhat contrived as explained above. A concern is also the amount of storage and usable space that would be afforded to the residents for example on a practical level as there is no space for residents to wash and dry laundry including storage space and there is insufficient space for cooking facilities. 

“Consequently, the proposed development would give rise to unacceptable harm to the living conditions of the proposed occupiers.”

The size of the new HMO; the lack of justification for the loss of a community facility; and the lack of parking and waste management plans were all given as reasons for the planning officers for refusing the proposal.