Burnley home with no front or backyard set to become HMO

The home in Wynotham Street is set to double in capacity to a small four-bedroom HMO when works begin, with each 12sqm room containing an en-suite shower but sharing a kitchen that will be extended into the yard, and a common area.

These new dwellings are spread over all three levels, with one on the ground floor, two on the first floor, and a final room in the converted loft of the leasehold terraced house, which was last sold as a two-bed home for £80,000 in 2024.

This loft conversion will introduce a grey-coloured dormer into the roof to allow for the early 20th century terraced house’s new purpose.

Burnley Council planners approved the conversion (Image: Will Morgan)

Burnley Council has set a limit on the number of HMOs like this to fewer than 10 per cent of properties on a given street, or 20 per cent in a 100-metre radius, due to known problems often associated with these high-density rental properties.

However, with only one other HMO in Wynotham Street and four in total within 100 metres, this HMO application did not breach the borough’s limit.

With plans to include a space to store bicycles, it was also judged not to meet the bar for refusal on grounds of highway safety and parking impact.

In a report approving the application, Burnley Council’s planning officers said: “The proposal would make effective use of an existing residential property within the development boundary by providing four units of shared accommodation in a sustainable and accessible location.

“The development would contribute to the Borough's supply of private rented accommodation and would provide a form of housing that meets the needs of a range of occupants.”

However, they did also note some ‘adverse considerations’ in their decision, stating: “The proposal would result in the loss of a traditional three-bedroom family dwelling, which conflicts with the housing mix objectives of Policy HS3 and the Strategic Housing Market Assessment.

“In addition, the proposal fails to provide a meaningful area of private outdoor amenity space for future occupiers beyond functional servicing space, which attracts moderate negative weight.”

Despite this, the officer noted that these considerations did not constitute ‘significant harm’, or outweigh the benefit of providing more shared housing options in a ‘sustainable location’.

Although the conversion into an HMO was approved by officers, under borough rules,  the landlord will have to meet the council’s ‘fit and proper person’ test and work with Burnley’s HMO licensing scheme, which ensures that rooms meet a minimum size and that fire safety regulations are being followed.