Welcome for overdue action on HMOs

With widespread concerns for a number of years about the proliferation of HMOs, we are finally seeing this council announcing plans to take action. I hope this means that residents will finally get a say in what happens in their neighbourhoods.

One of the roles of city councillors is to act as the eyes and ears of the council within our communities. We pick up on issues raised by our constituents and see what we can do to make a difference.

One of the key complaints across many areas of Peterborough, including my own ward, is the impact of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). This is where a larger property is shared between several different people with individual bedrooms but shared kitchens and other communal areas.

HMOs are an essential part of the housing offer in the city, giving space for people who want their own space but can’t afford to rent a whole property, or are in the city part of the week and need someone to stay. They are also an essential part of student living, which will be increasingly important to the city as the new university grows.

However HMOs can bring problems if not managed properly. These include car parking, rubbish and fly-tipping, properties being left to look scruffy, and noise complaints. Of course most residents and landlords do not cause these problems, but it only takes a small cluster together to cause an issue, and this is the main problem I hear, too many HMOs together in one location.

The problem with the regulations at the moment is that only HMOs with 6 or more residents are required to obtain planning permission, anything smaller may need to be licenced but is not subject to the same planning regulations, so there is nothing local communities can do to object.

Next week the Cabinet at Peterborough City Council will discuss moving to a consultation on the implementation of an “Article 4 Direction” as a trial in certain areas of the city. This would remove the existing permitted development rights for converting a house to a small HMOs and mean planning permission is required in the same way as larger HMOs.

I welcome the move by the cabinet to create a cross-party member working group to discuss and review progress on the consultation and implementation of the Article 4 Direction. This form of collaborative working benefits the city as it ensures all voices are listened to before and during key decisions. As the Liberal Democrat representative on this group, I will ensure that the views of Peterborough residents are at the forefront of the process.

I’m not going to pretend that this will fix all the issues overnight. It will not mean that all applications for HMOs will be automatically rejected. What it will mean it that residents, city councillors, parish councils and other stakeholders are consulted whenever a new application for a small HMO is made, when at present they get no say at all.

Liberal Democrats believe that residents should be given a bigger say over what happens in their area. The introduction of an Article 4 Directive would be a prime example of this, giving more power back to the people.