CROWNGATE’S owners have put forward plans for a HMO at the shopping centre.

Starburst (UK) Ltd wants to turn 10 flats into a house of multiple occupation (HMO).

The flats are on the first and second floors of Crowngate in Angel Place, either side of the Friary Walk entrance to the shopping centre.

Plans submitted to the city council are for 10 HMO units and a communal living space.

These would replace the mixture of one, two and three-bedroom flats currently in the building.

HMO: The plans show a number of HMO units plus a common roomHMO: The plans show a number of HMO units plus a common room (Image: Turley Architects)

According to the plans, one of the flats is connected via an internal staircase to an empty ground floor shop unit, which was formerly a fish and chip shop.

A £1.5 million renovation of the Angel Place part of Crowngate and the facade either side of it took place in 2019.

Starburst (UK) took on ownership of the centre earlier this year, from previous owners Crown Estates, and promised to reinvigorate it.

The new proposal includes the internal reconfiguration of the southern wing of the first floor to create a new “communal living area for the surrounding units”.

Should planning approval be given, an internal staircase would be removed and the floor reformed.

Other changes include the subdivision of the lounge in one flat and the installation of an additional partition wall in another.

REFURB: The outside of the building during renovation in 2019REFURB: The outside of the building during renovation in 2019 (Image: Google Maps)

In a planning statement, it is claimed that some of the proposed residential units “do not fall technically within the HMO definition”.

But it adds: “Given that these units will share the same security, fire and waste arrangements, it is considered logical that the HMO standards of management are applied to the site as a whole and this application therefore has included all units.

“The site is located in a prominent central plot along Angel Place in Worcester. As such the location is highly accessible by public transport and by active modes of travel such as walking and cycling.

“No external alterations are proposed as part of the development and therefore it is considered that the proposal will preserve the special character and appearance of the conservation area.”