New HMO planning application rejected

Wrexham planning committee voted 14-0 to refuse a planning application to turn a 3-bedroom terrace house at 8 Albert St, Hightown, into six bedsits. There was one abstention. The decision was welcomed by local residents in the gallery.
 This is the latest HMO to be rejected by the planning committee, where members expressed concern about the impact such housing is having on parts of Wrexham. They rejected the application on parking grounds, criticising the Welsh Government's planning guidance that treated the change from a three-bed home to six bedsits as "neutral" in terms of impact on the street.
  Plaid Cymru councillors welcomed the decision, stating that licences for HMOs needed to be reviewed and tightened due to concerns about tenants' welfare.
 They are also calling for new council houses to be built as a priority to help answer housing need in the borough, believing that too many people on low incomes are being forced into substandard or unsuitable private accommodation.