Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has granted planning permission for a change of use at 182 Obins Street in Portadown.

The application, submitted by Armagh Design Ltd on behalf of the Hamill family, seeks permission to convert the existing dwelling into a five-person, five-bedroom house in multiple occupation.

The property layout includes a living room, kitchen, utility room and toilet on the ground floor, three bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor, and one further bedroom on the second floor.

No external alterations are proposed.

One letter of objection was received. It raised concerns over overcrowding, parking, antisocial behaviour, loss of a family home, pressure on local services, noise, waste disposal and the number of HMOs already in the area.

Planning officers noted that one HMO already exists next door at 180 Obins Street, approved in 2019.

The council's Environmental Health Department raised no objections.

DfI Roads and officers assessed parking provision of six spaces at the rear, accessed via a right of way between numbers 168 and 172, and found the arrangements acceptable given the site's location near the town centre and public transport links.

NI Water identified capacity issues in the public foul sewer network. The applicant has agreed to fund and deliver a downstream engineering solution to allow connection without risk of environmental harm.