A proposal to convert a property into a 10-bedroom shared dwelling has been submitted for approval in a coastal town, amid warnings that such projects are contributing to anti-social behaviour.

The plans involve converting a five-bedroom mid-terrace building situated at 37 Glamis Street in Bognor Regis, with Arun District Council planning officers expressing support for the scheme.

Despite this backing, both the district council’s economic regeneration team and Bognor Regis Town Council lodged formal representations against the application.

The economic regeneration team warned that the existing concentration of shared accommodation in the Hotham district of Bognor was already harming the local area.

The team indicated that the existing volume of houses in multiple occupation was producing significant anti-social conduct, which was now affecting the vibrancy of the town centre.

It also pointed out that a heavy clustering of such dwellings could adversely affect local living standards and that approving the scheme would worsen existing difficulties.

Bognor Regis Town Council similarly objected, noting that the scale and intensity of the proposed occupancy would likely generate extra noise, disturbance, and general activity, including arrivals and departures, to the disadvantage of neighbouring residents.

Establishing a 10-person house in multiple occupation would contribute to an over-concentration of such uses, undermining efforts to create sustainable and mixed communities.

The Hotham district was subject to a district council directive in January 2023 removing automatic permissions for house in multiple occupation conversions due to concerns about community wellbeing.

These constraints apply to areas where current or projected high concentrations of such properties are considered likely to harm the amenity or welfare of local residents and communities.

Planning officers observed, however, that existing houses in multiple occupation account for just 2.9 percent of dwellings within a 250-metre radius of the site, which remains below thresholds established in recent appeal decisions.

On this basis, they concluded that dismissing the application would not succeed at appeal.

The evaluation also indicated that adding a 10-occupant shared house would only marginally alter the neighbourhood’s character and would not constitute excessive concentration.

The proposal will be considered by Arun District Council’s planning committee on April 15.