Controversial plans to turn a religious retreat house in Preston into dozens of bedsits have been kicked out by councillors – because of the impact the change would have on neighbours.

Preston City Council’s planning committee rejected a proposal to convert the former Xaverian Mission Spirituality Centre, on Sharoe Green Lane in Fulwood, into a 30-room “house in multiple occupation” (HMO).

However, the boss of the firm behind the bid has said he will appeal against the refusal – and is confident his vision for the site will ultimately be realised.

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The committee first considered the scheme last month, but opted to defer their decision until they were provided with more details about how the huge property would be managed.   At their latest meeting, they remained unpersuaded after once again hearing a raft of local concerns about the project.

Sharoe Green ward councillors questioned the adequacy of the management plan submitted – at the committee’s request – by the applicant, Sapphire Properties Investment Limited.

Cllr Maxwell Green claimed the document was “a copy-and-paste job from easily-accessible versions online”.  He said that while it suggested there would be “a site manager of sorts”, the planned development demanded a 24-hour presence.

“Without a guaranteed site manager around the clock, it’s open to the possibility of antisocial behaviour occurring and not being dealt with appropriately,” Cllr Green said.

Fellow ward councillor George Kulbacki told the committee the management plan was full of “unsubstantiated claims and vague, unsupported intentions”, which made it “unfit for purpose”.

“From my point of view…[it] has been put together just to satisfy the request from this planning committee and I…would imagine it doesn’t reassure the local residents,” Cllr Kulbacki said.

Amongst those residents – and one of more than 50 objectors, some of whom had signed a generic letter – was Kath Talbot who said security lights installed at the site were disturbing bats known to be living there and which are protected by law.

She also claimed that she had recently had to “endure the noise …[and] disturbance of an alarm sounding 24/7 for eight days” at the property before any action was taken to switch it off – a situation Cllr Green described as a “foreboding sign” of how the premises might be operated in future.

Meanwhile, committee member Carol Henshaw expressed concern over the potential for as many 60 occupants of the bedsits to have to share the five kitchens proposed within the plans.

However, council planning officer Jonathan Evans said the authority’s housing standards team considered the facilities – and the size of the bedsits, the vast majority of which would be ensuite – to be sufficient.

Although the council’s own planners had recommended the proposal be given the green light, the committee remained unconvinced and ultimately rejected it – on the grounds of it leading to an “unacceptable over-concentration in the use of the property, which would harm residential amenity [and] the character and appearance of the area”.

Committee member John Potter said that if the applicant “really wanted to engage with this planning committee, they would have tuned up” on both occasions to address the concerns that had been raised during the debates.

“The fact they haven’t…lends credence to what…the [ward] councillors that have spoken at this committee [have said],” Cllr Potter suggested.

‘I’m a good landlord’

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service in the days after the meeting, Sapphire Properties Investment director Mick Patel said he “could not believe” the application had been refused.

“The planning [department] said it should have got passed, highways said it should have got passed and housing standards said it should have got passed.

“We’ve spent nearly £2m on the site – and this is all self-funding money.   It’s a local lad from Preston investing [in the city].

“I don’t know what else you could do with the property – it’s not right for a house. But we’re pretty confident it will go through on appeal,” Mr. Patel said.

He also blasted the committee for questioning the way his firm manages its properties.

“We’ve invested in some of the more deprived areas of Preston and we never have any problems with our tenants.

“We give them a good quality product at an affordable rent – and when you get good landlords who look after people, you get the same tenants for 15 or 20 years, [because people] don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Addressing the criticism levelled at him for not appearing before the committee when the application was considered for the second time last week, Mr. Patel said he had been away on a holiday that had been planned for more than a year.  He said he had suggested one of his managers attend instead, but was told he had missed the deadline for registering to speak at the meeting.

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