COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Plans have been drawn up to try and limit the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) conversions in Coventry in the future



Eleven of the 18 wards in the city already have high concentrations of HMOs, the city council said.

Their proposals would force landlords and developers to seek full planning permission for future conversions.

"We believe this will help improve neighbourhoods," councillor David Welsh said.

HMOs are occupied by people who do not form a single household and can include bedsits, hostels, shared houses and houses converted into self-contained flats.

Opponents claim they damage communities, but others say they serve an urgent housing need.

The number of HMOs has not been revealed by the city council but it said it wanted to control the number of homes converted into them in the 11 wards.

They include the city centre, Earlsdon, Cheylesmore, Foleshill and Radford.

HMOs can be integral to communities, councillor Gavin Lloyd admitted, in providing housing for students and young professionals.

But he said controlling the number would be about "accommodating the housing needs of the many, not the few".

An Article 4 direction is being sought by the council for the 11 wards which would require homeowners and developers in the future to apply for planning permission to convert a house into an HMO.

A report will be examined by the council's cabinet on 30 August with the authority seeking a public consultation in September.

Feedback sought over plans to change Coventry HMOs process

Consultation has begun over plans to force landlords to seek full planning permission for turning homes into Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).

Coventry City Council said the proposal would place restrictions on residential property conversions in 11 out of 18 wards, which "already have the highest concentration of HMOs".

It could help those looking to get on the property ladder, the council said.

The public consultation exercise goes on until 15 November.

People can have their say online or visit venues to talk to planning officers, starting on Tuesday with Hillfields Library from 10:00 to 12:00 BST and Stoke Library from 13:00 to 15:00 BST.

HMOs are occupied by people who do not form a single household and can include bedsits, hostels, shared houses and houses converted into multiple self-contained flats.

Opponents claim they damage communities, but others say they serve an urgent housing need.

The consultation seeks feedback over changes to rules that would affect landlords and property developers.

The proposals involve measures called Article 4 Direction under which restrictions ensure all new HMO conversions need full planning approval, if an Article 4 is implemented.

The legislation "prevents any unnecessary and avoidable displacement of families searching for properties", the council says.

It adds the legislation also provides opportunities for "those looking to get on to the property ladder by limiting the number of HMOs in certain wards, and ensuring that they are not located so closely together".

Cabinet member for housing and communities David Welsh said: "HMOS do serve a purpose but we also need good quality affordable homes for families.

"We believe this will help improve neighbourhoods."

Plans to limit HMOs in Coventry move a step closer



A new document has been published that is being billed as 'the next step' in restricting houses of multiple occupation in parts of Coventry. The city council has published a development plan setting out how proposals for (HMOs) will now be assessed through a suite of new planning policies.

The document is said to act on feedback made during a period of consultation last year when the public was asked to say what it thought about introducing new policies to assess HMO proposals and to potentially limit them in future. The consultation itself came after the council launched a proposal, called an Article 4 Direction, to place restrictions on residential property conversions in 11 out of 18 wards in the city which already have the highest concentration of HMOs.

Andrew Walster, Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services at Coventry City Council, said: "Many residents got involved in the consultation and have helped shape the proposed planning policies for controlling new HMO development. We must now follow formal procedures, as required by law, to allow people to make any further comments which will then be considered by a planning inspector."

The statutory publication period runs until just before midnight on May 15. After that deadline the council will submit its HMO Development Plan Document (DPD) to the government for independent examination.

The policies contained within the Plan provide further detail to the strategic policies set out in the Council’s adopted Local Plan and City Centre Area Action Plan. The Plan covers the whole of the city and once adopted, the HMO DPD will form the overall statutory development plan for the city.

Representations made in the statutory publication period must be done electronically or in writing using the official form. The council will not accept representations made anonymously or after the May 15 deadline.

Some areas of the city are now "unrecognisable" due to the number of HMOs, campaigners say



A move to ensure new HMOs in Coventry fit better with communities is due to be signed off by councillors next week (5 September.) It will mean family homes in certain areas of the city can't be turned into HMOs (houses of multiple occupation) without full planning permission.

People living in areas with lots of this kind of housing say the change is "essential" to tackle the problems they are facing.

Some have been campaigning for the move, called an Article 4 Direction, for years. The Chapelfields Area Residents’ and Traders’ Association (CARTA) told a council consultation their historic area had been popular with families "until recently."

This part of the city mainly has 2-4 bedroom houses with limited parking, decent-sized gardens and good access to local schools and the centre.

But for the last 5-10 years a number of family homes here have been turned into HMOs, they said in response to a council survey on the Article 4 plans.

"The impact on the area has been huge," they said. "Where previously residents would stay in the area for years now we have tenants of HMOs who stay for a matter of months.

"The parking situation has become unbearable, with some houses now having 4-5 cars where before they would have had 1-2. Long term residents are considering leaving the area because of the number of HMOs. We believe Article 4 is essential to stopping the further decline of our community."

Others told the council they support the plans with one saying the Cannon Park estate is now "unrecognisable" and asking for the move "as a matter of urgency."

"The density of licenced HMOs and smaller student rentals has completely changed the demographic of the estate," the unnamed resident said.

"Generally (not always) the student homes are in disrepair, front gardens are not managed, litter is a problem as is the proliferation of shopping trollies all over the estate."