A LOCAL councillor has called for plans to turn a former Newton Abbot care home into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) to be decided by elected councillors, after more than 20 objections were lodged against the scheme.

Cllr Janet Bradford, independent member for College Ward, has asked for the latest application for 30 Courtenay Road to be referred to Teignbridge Council’s planning committee, citing concerns over parking, highway safety and the potential for anti-social behaviour.

The application, submitted by Rosecroft Homes Limited, seeks permission to change the use of the western half of the former Dunmore Care Home from a care home to HMO accommodation.

It follows the refusal of an earlier proposal in January.

A separate application concerning the other half of the former care home, at number 28 Courtenay Road, was also refused.

Under the latest plans, the three-storey building would be converted into a large HMO containing 13 non-self-contained, single-occupancy rooms, with communal kitchens and other shared facilities.

A second, smaller HMO is proposed on the lower ground floor, providing five single-occupancy bedrooms, together with a communal kitchen and dining room and laundry facilities.

Cllr Bradford said the number of households created by the proposal would place significant additional pressure on parking in the area.

She said: ‘With the number of households in the change the burden on the off-street and on-street parking will impact heavily on the immediate neighbours’.

She added that 18 households would generate a ‘substantial increase in vehicle movements’, raising concerns about parking and highway safety.

The councillor also raised concerns about the effect the development could have on the existing community mix, saying the proposal could alter the balance of the neighbourhood.

She pointed to evidence from elsewhere of ‘significant ASB disruption’ as a reason for the application to be considered by councillors.

More than 20 objections have been submitted to the council, including one from Cllr Jacqueline Fry, Reform UK councillor for Newton Abbot North.

Cllr Fry described the proposal as an ‘exceptionally large’ HMO and said its scale and intensity raised ‘significant concerns’ for neighbouring residents and the wider community.

She warned that having a concentration of unrelated residents sharing communal facilities could create management difficulties and potentially result in disputes, noise complaints and anti-social behaviour.

Planning applications are normally determined by council planning officers under delegated powers when they are considered small-scale or non-controversial.

However, ward councillors, like Cllr Bradford, can request that an application is ‘called in’ for consideration by a planning committee where there is significant public concern or other planning considerations warranting a member decision.

If the application is referred to committee, elected councillors will ultimately decide whether planning permission should be granted or refused.

To view the proposal in full, and to comment on the application, visit Teignbridge Council's planning portal and enter ‘26/01249/FUL’ into the search-box.