A BID to convert the last family home in a street entirely made up of student digs has been thrown out by planners.

Councillors said they were “horrified” by an application to turn the traditional two-bedroom terraced house in Durham into a seven-bed student house, with two bedrooms on the ground floor, three on the first floor and two in the loft.

Applicants were seeking planning permission to convert the house in Wynyard Grove in the Gilesgate area, directly opposite the Sainsbury’s supermarket, into a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO).

Durham County Council planning officer Susan Hyde told councillors meeting at County Hall today (Tuesday, February 9) that planning rules meant houses could be converted into HMOs for up to six people without the need for planning permission and all other properties in the street had already been converted to house students.

A report to members of the Area Planning Committee concluded “the balance of this street to student properties has been lost” and recommended approval.

The City of Durham Trust did not make a formal objection to the scheme, saying it would be like: “trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted”.

Durham Police also stopped short of objecting to the scheme, but highlighted the adverse impact that concentrations of HMOs can have on a community and said they had received numerous complaints about parking in the area.

Local councillor Patrick Conway said Wynyard Grove residents parked their cars in the narrow back lane behind the terrace leading onto Green Lane and he was aware of complaints that emergency vehicles were unable to get down the street as a result.

Referring to the number of people packed into a single terraced house, Cllr Conway added: “This is like a return to the tenements of Durham which were cleared in the 1930s”.

Cllr Bill Moir: “If this application is approved, the entire street will have been given over to student occupation.

“Are we supposed to be in the business of creating student ghettos? To me, this is an unacceptable loss of residential property.”

Cllr John Robinson: “I am horrified at this application. We are talking about seven young people having a room in a house built as a two-bedroom property.”

Cllr June Clark said she was “aghast” and added: “I am astounded that putting seven bedrooms into a house built for two is considered acceptable in this day and age. We are going back to the days of slums.”

Members of the committee voted unanimously to refuse the application.