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 of HMOs is higher.
3.
Ensure all tools available to the Council to support the regulation
of HMOs are effectively engaged.
4.
Request that the Leader of the Council write to Steve Reed OBE MP,
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,
calling for the removal of General Permitted Development Rights for
HMOs of between three and six occupants, specifically where there
is a material change from Class C3 (dwellinghouse) to Class C4
(house in multiple occupation) and requesting the introduction of
national floor space standards for HMOs.
Proposer: Councillor Alison Hunt
Seconder: Councillor Sandra Barnes