Plans to turn grade II listed former Ipswich police station into 15-bed HMO refused

Plans to turn a grade II listed former police station in Ipswich into a 15-bed HMO have been refused.

Lockwood Perry Ltd submitted plans to convert 10 and 10A Museum Street in July last year.

The plans would have seen 10 Museum Street become a five bedroom home, while the rest of the building, to the back of the site, would have contained 15 bedrooms over three floors.

In 2023, plans had been approved to turn the site into a home and five flats, with the applicant seeking to replace the latter with the HMO.

When giving their decision, planners at Ipswich Borough Council felt the plans would ‘fail to provide an acceptable living environment’.

The windows in rooms two, three, seven and eight would not have had enough natural light as windows faced southwards near a neighbouring building, they said.

It was also noted that the gap between the building would have been used as a walkway for residents of both the HMO and the home, limiting privacy for all.