Permission has been sought from Council to convert a dwelling into a six bedroom house of multiple occupancy (HMO) in an area of Portadown that has previously been regarded as having “too many” HMOs in existence.
Proposed change of use has been submitted to Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council in the name of Mr Adam Qureshi and relates to the premises at 25 Tandragee Road.
Under the proposals, the building would comprise of six bedroom across three floors – each occupying one individual.
On the ground floor of the property there would be an entrance hall with stairwell leading to a single person bedroom at the front, with an open plan living and dining room, a separate kitchen and utility room to the rear, adjacent to a WC and a small, external rear yard.
The stairwell leads to the first floor where two, one-person bedrooms are located alongside, a bathroom and a third one person bedroom with ensuite.
On second floor there would be a further two, one-person bedrooms, one of which would also have an ensuite.
To ensure environmental suitability for the plans, a service management plan was conducted which has concluded that the proposal will require three 360 litre bins; one for general waste, one for recycling and one for food/biodegradable waste.
An area has been outlined for bins the within the rear yard of the proposal with access to the existing laneway located to the rear of the existing dwelling, to “ensure that the bins are not accumulating on the street”.
In terms of parking suitability, a parking study was completed on July 16, 2025 and July 24, 2025 where the streets surrounding the proposed development were surveyed for available parking spaces.
The parking spaces requested for the HMO is six spaces (one per bedroom), in accordance with current precedence.
The study explains that both surveys took place in the evening after 7pm and concerned area available within 200m of the site, including: Tandragee Road, Bridgeford Meadows, Annagh Hill, Bridgeway Manor, Reynolds Court and Annaghview Court.
On each survey it was found that sufficient parking was available on Tandragee Road, adjacent to the site, therefore the remaining streets within the 200m catchment area were not surveyed.
The parking survey showed that there will be a minimum of ten public parking spaces available within 60m from the proposed development which will be available to residents, with further parking outside the 60m limit not surveyed.
The study adds: “Given the location of the development within walking/cycling distance from local amenities and with the wider public transport network close by it is assumed that the parking requirement for the proposal will be less than the requested six spaces, however, this parking survey proves that spaces are available in the immediate area to service the accommodation.”
In November 2024, Armagh I reported that permission had been granted for an HMO next door to the proposal’s property, at 27 Tandragee Road – despite strong objections from neighbours.
Related: Green light for Portadown HMO despite strong objections from neighbours
The planning application raised concerns as far back as last January, when the matter was discussed at an ABC Planning & Regulatory Services committee meeting, and in the course of subsequent meetings, due to the number of HMOs already in existence in that part of Portadown.
There have been no objections to the current proposals relating to 25 Tandragee Road at the time of writing.
The application is due to be advertised shortly.
