Plans to turn a space above a restaurant into a house of multiple occupation has been thrown out with planners saying people living there would have a “poor quality of life”.

The applicant had asked Colchester Council for permission to convert the first and second floor of 52 to 53 High Street from a single dwelling to seven bed HMO.

The planning application said the site, above Poppins Cafe and Restaurant, is “derelict and in need for urgent attention.”

It was planned three bedrooms would share a WC and shower room and the other four bedrooms would have en-suites.

There would have also been a shared kitchen and dining area.

But now Colchester Council has rejected the bid saying it did not achieve high standards for design and layout.

The report said: “A shared window and door would not provide suitable light or ventilation to the kitchen.

“The development fails to provide waste and recycling facilities or appropriate cycle parking. There is not amenity space provided.

“A management and maintenance plan to ensure the future maintenance of the building and external spaces has not been provided.

“The proposed development would consequently result in a poor quality of life for future residents contrary to the abovementioned policies.”

In February officers uncovered a cannabis growing operation in a flat above the café.

Stunned shoppers watched on as police dismantled equipment used in the cannabis farm and used a petrol-powered shredding machine to chop up about 500 cannabis plants.

• Phong Nguyen, 22, and Tam Nguyen, 26, were charged with producing a Class B drug in relation to the incident in February and are due to be sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on July 7.