Article 4 Direction : Houses in multiple occupation

We asked you to make comments on the council’s proposal to introduce an Article 4 Direction to remove a permitted development right for properties for between 3 and 6 people to be used as a House in Multiple Occupation, (HMO), in certain areas.

The consultation process was not conclusive. A total of 16 responses were received, 13 via the council’s consultation page on the website and 3 by email. The consultation asked respondents to ‘Please give us your comments’, rather than asking specific questions. Of the 16 respondents, 7 were in favour of the Article 4 direction, 5 were opposed and 4 did not express a clear view of their opinion, but did question whether the measure would be effective. However, on balance, there was a more positive response to the measure than a negative response and the potential wider benefits to the local community outweighed the potentially negative impact of the Article 4 Direction.

The Article 4 Direction was made on the 8th August 2013. This was followed by a period of public consultation from the 9th August to the 20th September 2013. A report was taken to the Planning and Development Control Committee on the 27th November 2013 and it was agreed to confirm the order. The order was confirmed on the 10th February and will come into force on the 20th August 2014. It was also agreed to set up a voluntary register, in advance of the order coming into force, to allow landlords to register their properties as HMOs. This will help to avoid confusion over which houses are already in use as HMOs.