920 Pershore Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 7PU

1. 1.The proposed development would fail to provide an acceptable standard of accommodation for future occupiers. The development would provide approximately 43m² of gross internal floor space, which falls below the 50m² minimum standard for a one-bedroom, two-person dwelling as set out in the Nationally Described Space Standard. Furthermore, the habitable room windows would have a direct outlook towards a blank wall at a separation distance of approximately 4 metres, resulting in poor levels of outlook, limited natural light and an unduly oppressive living environment. Collectively, these deficiencies would result in cramped and substandard living conditions and would fail to secure a high standard of residential amenity for future occupiers. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies PG3 and TP27 of the Birmingham Development Plan, Policies DM2 and DM10 of the Development Management in Birmingham DPD, the Birmingham Design Guide SPD, and the National Planning Policy Framework.
2. 2.Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that the proposed accommodation would achieve the minimum 2.3m floor-to-ceiling height required to provide an acceptable standard of living conditions for future occupiers. As such, the Local Planning Authority cannot be satisfied that the proposal would provide high quality residential accommodation and the scheme is therefore contrary to the Birmingham Design Guide SPD 2022, Policy PG3 of the Birmingham Development Plan 2017, Policies DM2 and DM10 of the Development Management in Birmingham DPD 2021 and the National Planning Policy Framework.
3. 3.The proposed residential unit fails to provide adequate accommodation for future occupiers by reason of the absence of a kitchen and associated food preparation facilities. Consequently, the development would not provide the facilities necessary for day-to-day living and would fail to achieve an acceptable standard of residential accommodation. The proposal would therefore result in substandard living conditions, contrary to Policy PG3 of the Birmingham Development Plan, Policy DM10 of the Development Management in Birmingham DPD and the National Planning Policy Framework.
4. 4.The applicant has failed to demonstrate that the proposed residential unit would provide an acceptable standard of living conditions for future occupiers. Insufficient information has been submitted to assess the impact of noise and odour arising from the operation of the adjoining restaurant use. In the absence of a satisfactory noise and odour assessment, the Local Planning Authority cannot be satisfied that future occupiers would not be subject to unacceptable levels of noise and odour disturbance. The proposal would therefore fail to provide a satisfactory level of residential amenity and is contrary to Policy PG3 of the Birmingham Development Plan, Policies DM1 and DM2 of the Development Management in Birmingham DPD and the National Planning Policy Framework.
5. 5.The proposed development fails to demonstrate that safe and suitable vehicular access can be achieved. The submitted plans show an access gate of insufficient width to provide the required pedestrian visibility splays and fail to identify the precise location of the existing footway crossing to demonstrate that the access can operate safely. Furthermore, the proposal fails to provide secure and covered cycle parking in accordance with adopted parking standards. Consequently, the proposal would be detrimental to highway safety and would fail to meet the operational parking and sustainable transport requirements of the development. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies DM14 and DM15 of the Development Management in Birmingham DPD, and the National Planning Policy Framework.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

B29 7PU

Application type

Full Planning

Date validated

30 June 2026

Applicant

Private applicant

Architect profile

PARAGON ARCHITECTURE & CONSTRUCTION LTD

Case officer

Mohammed Abdellah