Plans for a house in multiple occupation for 28 people in Stoke-on-Trent have been refused.

Applicant Sardar Nabi Ahmedzai proposed to knock down an existing house in Wellington Street, Hanley and replace it with a large purpose-built HMO.

The four-storey building would have contained 28 en-suite bedrooms and communal facilities, along with two self-contained ground floor flats.

But Stoke-on-Trent City Council has refused the outline planning application, due to concerns around overdevelopment, residential amenity and biodiversity, and the potential impact on bats.

According to the application, the existing two-storey house has 'fallen into disrepair' and is surrounded by unkempt gardens and scrub land.

The proposed building would have two bedrooms on the ground floor, 10 on the first floor, and eight on the second and third floors. There would also be a communal lounge and kitchen on the ground floor, with 'quiet lounges' on each of the upper floors.

The application claims that the proposal 'represents a sustainable and appropriate reuse of an existing residential property' that will help meet housing demand.

Seventeen objections were submitted to the application, with residents raising concerns over issues such as parking, the impact on local infrastructure and loss of privacy.

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Highways officers also objected, due to parking and access concerns, while ecology officers said the application lacked sufficient information to indicate whether there would be impacts on bats.

Planning officers concluded that while the principle of residential use is acceptable on the site, the scale of the development proposed would likely result in 'substandard accommodation' and a building 'incapable of harmonising with the locality'.

The officers' report states: "At this outline stage, officers also have significant concerns in respect of design, residential amenity and highways safety impacts.

"Whilst there may be limited scope for some of these matters to be marginally improved through revised reserved matters submissions, the extent and severity of the issues at this stage weigh heavily against the scheme.

"In addition, the application fails to provide the necessary ecological information to determine whether the scheme would have any impact on bats, a protected species."

Planning officers also say the applicant has incorrectly claimed an exemption from biodiversity net gain requirements.

Cabinet members at the city council this week agreed to introduce new measures to control the growth of HMOs in Stoke-on-Trent. There are currently an estimated 2,000 HMOs in the city, most of them small and unlicensed.