Student halls to be turned into HMO and flats
GoogleA block of student flats in a city centre will be converted into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) and flats.
Portland Halls in Portland Street, Lincoln, currently contains 19 halls of residence.
C Student Services Ltd submitted a planning application to the City of Lincoln Council for permission to split the building into four separate flats, including a seven-bedroom HMO.
The building has been used for students for more than 20 years and is near High Street.
The Portland Street application has been approved by council officers with the condition that the development should begin within three years.
The plans submitted by the company would create a seven-bedroom HMO on the ground floor, two four-bedroom flats on the first floor and a further four-bedroom flat on the second floor.
No reason has been given in the application for the change of use.
Following a rule change by the city council in 2016, special planning permission is now required to convert family homes or other accommodation into HMOs.
This rule was designed to stop the spread of unregistered and unlicensed HMOs, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
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