Former Peterborough aquarium and pet shop set to converted into HMO

Plans have been submitted to turn a former Peterborough aquarium into a new House in Multiple occupation (HMO).

The former Sunset Aquarists store at 118 South Street in Stanground is currently vacant and has been subject to an application to be replaced by a cafe.

This has since been withdrawn, however.

Now, MG & LM Properties Limited have submitted documents in an attempt to turn the site into a five-bedroom HMO.

The Edwardian semi-detached house would remain untouched but its extension- which housed the aquarium- would be converted.

Plans state that each room would have its own en0suite shower room with all the bedrooms sharing a large kitchen and living room area.

Three of the bedrooms are intended to be double rooms with the other two intended to be single rooms.

The application also seeks to demolish the existing single storey outbuilding at the rear of the site and to thereby extend the existing parking and open land area in order to provide seven car parking spaces.

The application also seeks to form two private gardens, one for each of the on site uses, one for the two bedroom house and one for the five bedroom HMO.

The application states: “The proposals presented with this planning application represent a conversion of a vacant retail area which has been empty for an extended period of time, to a well appointed HMO which will guarantee quick occupation.

“We trust that the Local Planning Authority will recognise that this scheme represents a retention of an existing residential use and a conversion to form a new HMO residential use which will provide the property with good occupancy rates, with tenants occupying good quality facilities with good supporting external provisions.

"All in all the site received a massive tidy up and a new role that should give the site a use full purpose well into the future.”

The application can be viewed on Peterborough City Council’s planning portal using reference 24/00096/FUL.