PLANS to convert a former Ashton pub into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) have received more than 60 objections.
Stockport-based Drakensberg Ltd, whose director is listed as Dawn Evans, has applied to Tameside Council to turn the Junction Inn, on Mossley Road, into nine-bedroomed accommodation.
Four would be on the ground floor and five on the first and each would have its own bathroom.
Work on the site may have already started, resulting in a retrospective submission, but already 62 objections have been received.
Documents supporting the application, which will see shared kitchen, dining and lounge facilities, however, believe this scheme will save the building.
The Junction Inn closed as a pub in December 2023 and has stood empty since.
And documents state as there were no offers received for continued use as a pub or hospitality venue and no community bids or interest under asset of community value provisions: “Deterioration and empty status have led to increased maintenance costs and risk of anti-social behaviour.
“The proposed change of use provides a sensitive and sustainable conversion of a long vacant building into much-needed affordable shared housing.
“This application proposes a sustainable, policy-compliant reuse of a vacant and underutilised building.
“The proposed HMO conversion will deliver quality housing while preserving the architectural integrity of the Junction Inn.
“The public house use has been demonstrably unviable, and without intervention, the building risks further decay.
“In contrast, the proposed development ensures long-term occupancy and investment, a contribution to local housing targets and improved appearance and vitality of the area.”
Despite those suggestions, Tameside Council’s waste and environmental services departments have expressed concern over the provision of bins.
The latter sates: “The HMO shall not be occupied until details of the means of storage and collection of refuse generated by the completed development have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
“The details shall include scaled plans showing the location of the required number of bins to be stored and any communal bin storage areas and scaled plans of the means of enclosure of all bin stores.”
The former adds: “As an HMO, they are only entitled to one set of bins. This would not be sufficient for the HMO; they must have a trade waste contract in place.
“They need to confirm how many bins they plan to be on contract for and the frequency of collection.”
Tameside Council’s Speaker’s Panel (Planning) committee will decide whether to grant or refuse permission.