Crawley Borough Council has given itself planning permission to officially change the use of a town centre building into a hostel for up to 68 people.
The application for 6-9 Ifield Road was submitted in 2022, when the building was being used as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) for up to 36 people.
Delays due to water neutrality issues saw the council open the hostel before being given planning permission. That permission was finally granted by the planning committee on Tuesday (August 26).
The hostel will provide temporary accommodation for Crawley people in need. Officers stressed that it was ‘not an asylum hostel’, as had been suggested by a number of objectors.
The council declared a housing emergency last year, with the level of demand for temporary accommodation out-stripping the space available. This saw many households put up in costly B&Bs, often outside the borough.
Ian Irvine, cabinet member for housing, said: “This hostel, when fully occupied, has the potential to save the council £834,000 per year over nightly paid temporary accommodation. That would make a very big difference to our already stretched council finances.”
Concerns were raised about anti-social behaviour, with one shop owner saying he had seen people ‘loitering in pyjamas, smoking, drinking, taking drugs’ outside the hostel.
He added that ‘general disturbance and anti-social behaviour makes that area feel unsafe’.
Some councillors acknowledged that there was anti-social behaviour in the area but, given that it sits next to the High Street, they doubted that everything could be placed at the feet of hostel residents.
Council leader Michael Jones said there had been only one complaint about anti-social behaviour since the hostel opened.
It was also pointed out that other incidents raised by objectors, which saw emergency services parked along the street outside the hostel, did not involve hostel residents.
No physical changes will be made to the building but landscaping will be carried out to make it more pleasant for the families who will stay there.
Some of the rooms which previously held one person will take as many as four – prompting concerns from Maureen Mwagale (Con, Tilgate) that it would be ‘too cramped’.
Officers said there was no adopted planning guidance on the size of hostel rooms – it would be a matter for the council, which would have to ensure that the building complied with fire and building regulation requirements.
There will be shared bathroom facilities on each floor.
Mr Irvine said the hostel would be managed by a dedicated hostels team and visited by an officer at least once a day. There will be strict tenancy conditions.
To view the application, log onto planningregister.crawley.gov.uk and search for CR/2022/0447/FUL.
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