Plan to turn a former workshop into a new home scrapped

A contentious plan to turn a former workshop into a new home looks to have been scrapped.

Several attempts for permission to convert an old carpentry workshop behind a home in Sebright Avenue in Worcester have been rejected over the years and a new plan shows the battle looks to have come to an end.

Under the new plan, the existing two-bed home would become a larger three-bed home with the two-storey workshop converted into four new rooms.

The plan has proved controversial since first being put forward in early 2020 mainly over fears the work would add to parking problems in the busy and cramped residential street.

Residents and local councillors spoke out against the plan with the county council’s highways department saying the work should not be allowed to go ahead as it did not provide enough parking space.

The plan was eventually rejected by Worcester City Council’s planning committee with councillors going against the recommendation of planning officers who had said it should be given the go-ahead.

An appeal was then made to the government’s planning inspectorate in attempt to get the rejection overturned but was dismissed with the inspector agreeing with the council that the plan would add to parking woes.

Planning inspector Rachel Walmsley said she had seen the parking problems during a visit to Sebright Avenue and allowing another home to be built would cause more issues.

Another plan to convert the workshop into a home was also rejected by the council in September last year.

Highways officers at Worcestershire County Council have not objected to the most recent playing saying that a two-bed-to-three-bed conversion does not need any more parking spaces than are currently in place under its planning rules.

Several neighbours in Sebright Avenue, Camp Hill Avenue and London Road had objected to the earlier workshop plans saying allowing the work to go ahead would also invade their privacy.

The latest plan can be viewed via the planning section of Worcester City Council’s website. The application number is 21/00954/HP and public consultation ends on November 16.