Student accommodation to HMO plans rejected twice

Plans wanted to turn The Annex into a 25-bed HMO

Plans to turn existing student accommodation into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) for 25 people have been rejected for the second time.

The proposal wanted to use The Annex on Gordon Street in Coventry to house professionals in shared accommodation.

The application provided zero off-street car parking spaces that did not measure up to the council's standard and changing the use of the building would create greater car parking requirement.

The city council said the plans would create an "intensification in demand" for on-road parking in an already heavily parked area.

The plan would also involve removing a restriction from 1998 which stated only students could live in the former office block, due to a lack of parking and amenity space.

Plans were first submitted in 2024.

A statement included in the first application, which was rejected in August last year, said if the building was suitable for students, it should also be suitable for other residents.

The council has said it would work with the applicants to "secure developments that improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area."