Plans to convert a hotel into a shared house for 18 people have been thrown out sue to fears of noise, increased crime and ‘sub-standard accommodation’.

Last month, the owners of the Hawthorn Hotel on Stand Lane in Radcliffe applied to transform the premises into an 18-room House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) to create ‘much needed additional accommodation in the area’.

In reports published by Bury Council, applicant Seif Taha, said the Hawthorn in its current guise was ‘no longer financially viable’. A planning statement supporting the plans to change the use from hotel to residential cites ‘the impact that ‘Covid-19 and the recent down turn in the economy has had on the hospitality sector over the last few years’.

The statement, added: “The proposal is based upon the building being no longer financially viable for hotel use, and follows the general trend for commercial buildings such as public houses and independent hotels seeking to move to the rental market. “The principle behind the development is to retain the existing building, and to adapt it internally in the most appropriate and sensitive manner to accommodate the HMO, and will be based largely on the existing layout of bedrooms within the hotel.”

Bury Council received 13 objections which included the plans would lead to ‘even more anti-social behaviour and parking issues on Stand Lane’.

One objector, said: “A HMO in this area in all likelihood will be cheap rentals to be utilised by the council or government for short term transient individuals.

“We need good affordable housing for families in this area, not cheap converted hotels for single occupancy, designed to produce financial yield for private landlords.” A planning officer’s report said based on the plans ‘the layout and facilities would be sub-standard’ at the proposed HMO.

The report added that the proposed nature of the accommodation could lead to problems.

It said: “While the property formally operated as a 17 bedroomed hotel, such establishments are generally orderly and patrons would tend not to have a considerable amount of interaction on a daily basis or use shared facilities of living/dining room for intensive periods of time. “Eighteen people living in one shared property as a ‘single household’ can create tensions, particularly when using the shared facilities.

“If most of the occupiers wanted to use the kitchen facilities for example, this can cause conflicts and hostilities and would be far from ideal living conditions.” The report added that Bury Council seeks to ensure that HMOs are limited to up to 10 bed spaces which pose fewer management problems and may be more readily able to integrate into the local community.

The report, concluded: “The scale and intensified use of the proposed development would be unacceptable within this residential setting and detrimental to residential amenity of the nearby occupiers.”