A three-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Oldham is set to be utilised as a five-bed flat instead, new plans reveal.

An application was submitted in December 2021 to change the upper floors of a retail unit on 19 Featherstall Road North into a three-bed HMO with a two-storey rear extension.

While the plans for the HMO were approved in April last year, a fresh application was filed in January this year to utilise the building for a self-contained flat instead.

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It means the building will be used as a single dwelling.

The application to transform the building into a flat comes as a proposal for an eight-bed HMO just down the road, above Subway at numbers 69 to 71, was approved in February.

Sketches of the layout at number 19 by Syed Helal Uddin Architectural Services show the first floor contains two bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen and bathroom.

The second floor has a third bedroom and a second large lounge area.

However, the fresh plans propose removing the lounge and kitchen from the first floor to make way for an additional two bedrooms.

In total, there will be four bedrooms and one bathroom on the first floor.

Meanwhile, the second floor will retain its existing bedroom but will also have a shared lounge and kitchen plus another bathroom.

In an assessment report, a planning officer found converting the HMO into a single dwelling house follows relevant planning law and recommended the application to be accepted.

Oldham Council then granted a certification of lawfulness to change the use or development of the property on March 6 this year.

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