I promised at the local elections to bring in controls of Houses of Multiple occupation in the Westmoreland area.
I have kept the promise I made to local residents and the Liberal Democrat council are now delivering on it with the first phase being launched by the council on 31st May.
Measures to better control and manage the growth of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) in Bath are moving ahead as part of proposals put forward by Bath & North East Somerset Council.
An intention to implement an Article 4 Direction to control HMO growth was published on 31st May 2012. This will help deal with concern that some streets in Bath are now being dominated with high numbers of HMO’s and consequently the availability of larger homes for local families is reducing. There are at least 3,000 HMO’s across the district, the majority of which are in Bath, although there could be many more because not all HMO properties require registration with the Council.
The main element of the measures would result in all property owners in Bath having to apply for planning permission to convert a family house into an HMO. It is proposed that the new rules will apply from 1st July 2013 giving a one year notice period – although no property in HMO use before this date will be affected.
"The number of family homes being converted is reaching the level where people are concerned that entire communities will become dominated by HMO’s. Bath & North East Somerset Council wants to ensure a fair mix of larger family homes and HMO’s.
“We must have the policy tools in place to ensure that this happens just like other University cities, such as Bristol, Oxford, and Exeter, that have all agreed additional planning controls over HMO’s.
By starting the consultation now the council are giving people reasonable notice about the new policy should the Council agree to adopt the Article 4 Direction.”
Have your say
The consultation on the measures started on 31st May 2012 and continues for 7 weeks. People can give their views at planning_policy@bathnes.gov.uk or write to the Council at: Article 4, Planning Services, PO Box 5006, Bath BA1 1JG.
Details can also be found at
www.bathnes.gov.uk/hmo
Next Steps
The details of the policy that planning applications will be considered upon will be contained in the forthcoming Supplementary Planning Document on HMOs in Bath that will be open to public consultation in October 2012.
The Council will consider whether to confirm, abandon, or amend the Article 4 Direction in February 2013.
By Sharon Ball
