A four-storey block of flats on the A40 in High Wycombe is set to have 56 bedrooms after extension plans were approved this week.

London House at 85 London Road is partly a student accommodation block for Bucks New University (BNU) and partly private rented rooms.

The building currently has 42 ensuite bedrooms, six communal kitchens and nine parking spaces.

The proposal, which was approved on December 9, will increase its accommodation with 12 new bedrooms, a 'new main and level entrance, creation of rear garden with improvements to the external appearance of the building'.

London House, 85 London Road (Image: Planning portal)

A council planning officer stated: "It is proposed to erect a ground floor infill extension, second and third floor [roof] extensions and alteration to existing internal configuration to provide 14 additional ensuite bedrooms (56 bedrooms in total), soft landscaping and associated external alterations."

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Parking will be lost with the development.

The planning officer said: "This scheme will result in the loss of the existing nine parking spaces on the site, with the exception of one space for a disabled resident."

The proposal states that there would be a 'new main entrance access route, accessible parking space, dedicated bike store, refuse and storage, all accessed via Queen’s Road at the northern end of the site'.

It added that a 'new landscaped garden area will be provided at the southern end of the site fronting London Road, a dedicated outdoor common area will be provided alongside the new common room'.

A previous plan to add rooms to the building was refused.

The proposal said that this was due to 'the quality of the overall layout and the effect upon the living environment of future occupiers; loss of off-street car parking; and insufficient information to confirm that the development will not increase the risk of flooding'.

This decision was appealed and a government planning inspector concluded that 'the proposals were acceptable in relation to the loss of off-street car parking, but remained unacceptable in relation to substandard living accommodation for future residents'.

The appeal was dismissed.

The conclusion stated: "The proposal conflicts with the development plan when read as a whole and there are no material considerations, either individually or in combination, of sufficient weight to outweigh the identified conflict with the development plan."

A supporting letter to the now approved proposal stated: "The applicant sought to revise the proposals to improve the standard of living accommodation in accordance with the adopted development plan to comprehensively address the remaining ground of concern expressed by both the local planning authority and planning inspector."