Agenda

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive

Why are you replacing a national indoor sports centre, with yet another leisure centre, which will not cater for the elderly? – asked by Robert Andrews

Report of the Democratic Services Manager.

Report of the Assistant Director – Revenue & Welfare Services

Report of the Democratic Services Manager

Report of the Democratic Services Manager

Report of the Democratic Services Manager

Report of the Democratic Services Manager

This Council notes that:-

• Gedling Borough, like many places across the country, has seen a rise in HMOs, a rise in housing delivery and a rise in housing need. Numbers of small HMOs falling within Use Class C4 (occupied by between three and six unrelated people sharing basic amenities) are hard to ascertain.  This is due to the lack of any national requirement for licensing or planning permission. This is a national issue with significant local impacts.
• While HMOs form an important part of the local housing mix, an over-concentration can lead to issues such as parking pressures and increased noise, creating a detrimental impact on community cohesion and local amenity.
• Under the current planning framework, the change of use from a dwellinghouse (Class C3) to a small HMO (Class C4) is permitted development under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (GPDO).
• An Article 4 Direction removes permitted development rights in defined areas, meaning that planning permission would be required for this change of use via a formal planning application. Such applications would then be assessed on their merits in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the Local Plan and other relevant material considerations, including adopted Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs).
• There is no single action that will allow us to prevent landlords from developing HMOs under current national planning legislation. We will work with Michael Payne MP and Michelle Welsh MP to encourage the Government to review and draft new legislation to enable the removal of permitted development rights facilitating the change of use of premises to HMOs. This would give Local Plans and local policies greater authority regarding new HMOs, allowing detrimental impacts on the community to be considered through the usual planning process.
• Council is aware that Cabinet have been monitoring the concentration of HMOs over the last three years and met in September 2025 and determined at that point, there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate an Article 4 Direction was necessary to protect local amenity or the well-being of the Netherfield Ward. Cabinet also agreed that a new boroughwide report on HMOs be brought to Cabinet within three months. Cabinet will be considering this report in January 2026.

This Council believes that:-

• It is important to proactively manage the distribution and concentration of HMOs to protect the character and amenity of local neighbourhoods to ensure a balanced mix of housing types and prevent urban cramming. 
• Introducing an Article 4 Direction is an established and proportionate planning tool that enables the Council to assess proposals for HMOs on a case-by-case basis.

This Council therefore resolves to:-

1.    Support Cabinets continued review of evidence of the concentration of HMOs in the Borough of Gedling.

2.    Recommend that Cabinet consider as part of their continuing review, whether there is sufficient evidence for an Article 4 Direction to be made to protect local amenity or the wellbeing of residents either across the whole borough or across specific areas of the borough where the concentration  ...  view the full agenda text for item 16.