PLANS have been lodged to convert a mid-terrace home into a nine-bedroom house of multiple occupation.

If the planning application is approved, the house, on the eastern side of Walmersley Road, Bury would have its basement modified to provide extra bedrooms.

Applicant Sona Co-Living Ltd, based in Hove, Sussex, says it will enlarge the existing front and rear lightwells to provide improved light to the basement rooms.

A planning statement in support of the plans by the applicant’s agent has been published by Bury Council.

The document says the house, close to Clarence Park, has two main storeys, with rooms in the roof above, and basement level

rooms, making a total of four floors of accommodation.

The statement adds: “The application property is an existing residential property within the urban area, therefore a redevelopment of the site for an alternative residential use is acceptable.

“Houses of multiple occupation (HMO) accommodation provides a more affordable housing option than self-contained accommodation, with a degree of communality which many people prefer to living alone.

“As such the proposed accommodation would contribute to meeting the range of housing needs of Bury.

“The house is of attractive traditional design, with painted render walls, a slate roof and a projecting ground floor front bay.

“The front is an open lawned area, the rear garden area is paved, with a boundary wall and gates.

“Overall, the proposed HMO would provide a high standard of accommodation, in a central location where transport links and the amenities of the city centre are close at hand.”

The proposal includes communal space for a kitchen, dining room, living room and study and workspace along with a shared rear garden.