A FORMER pub in Weymouth is being transformed into flats for people who have previously been homeless as part of a charity-run project, it has emerged.

The former Rodwell Pub closed in 2018 and is being redeveloped into a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) with seven self-contained en-suite bedrooms. It is owned by a private landlord and will be run by local charity The Lantern - which helps vulnerable and marginalised people in the area - as part of a supported lettings scheme.

A planning application to turn the building, in Boot Hill, into an HMO was approved by the former Weymouth & Portland Borough Council in 2018. A second change of use planning application for it to become 'Sui Generis' - a Latin term meaning 'of its own kind' was approved by Dorset Council last year.

Mike Graham, CEO of The Lantern, said: "The seven new tenants will be people who have been engaging with our services over a long period of time, have sustained themselves in a tenancy setting elsewhere and have proven they are ready for this next step.

"They will not have come straight from the streets. It will be people with low support needs who have been on a journey and are ready for this opportunity."

It comes after a recent investigation by Newsquest's and the BBC's Shared Data Unit revealed that 73 per cent of private landlords advertising properties in Dorset this month do not accept 'DSS' tenants – despite a county court judge ruling in July that blanket bans against people on benefits is 'unlawful and discriminatory'.

Dorset property ads on the website ‘Open Rent’ in August were analysed - just 13 of the available 49 properties accepted 'DSS'.

Mr Graham said that reassuring landlords formed part of the Lantern's supported lettings project.

He added: "We support the landlord as much as the tenant to make sure all parties are happy, which is probably why we're trusted to find the right people who will look after the property.

"At the end of the day if we put seven people in there who caused complaints, that won't help anyone."

Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing said the council’s Housing Standards team has licensed it as an HMO.

“The property on Rodwell Road is privately owned. It is not a homeless hostel and it will not be used by the council as such,"cllr Carr-Jones said.

“We understand that the owner of the property has entered into a private arrangement with the Lantern Trust, a fantastic charity which supports working people as well as people who have been homeless in the past.”