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Showing posts with label
Houses in Multiple Occupation.
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Showing posts with label
Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Show all posts
Our Work This Year Alone...
April 2012
Freemantle Spring Clean underway. Attending local residents' association meetings promoting our new No Cold Calling Zones. Meeting with the police to discuss the problem of street drinking.
March 2012
Secretary of State for Education officially opens Freemantle Academy's new Junior School building. Funding secured for improvements to the Civil Service Sports Ground. Residents updated on Helius' latest Biomass plans. New planning rules for Houses in Multiple Occupation come into force.
February 2012
Civil Service Sports Ground saved from development. Council Tax frozen once again. New Play Park for Albany Road announced. Conservative action with a campaign to tackle Dog Mess on our streets.
January 2012
Banister School rebuild given the green light. Residents updated about Southern Water upgrade to Waste Water Treatment works in the docks.
Over the last few days I have had quite a few queries from local residents who are keen to understand the specifics of the new HMO (House In Multiple Occupation) planning rules that were introduced on 23rd March this year.
Questions about these new planning rules also came up at the Highfield Residents Association AGM last week.
The City Council have produced a very helpful section on their website with all the details. Click HERE for this. Also HERE is an article I wrote back in January setting out our thinking behind the changes.
In the past, a large number of people have written to us regarding the issue of Houses in Multiple Occupation throughout Freemantle Ward, raising a number of issues and concerns on the topic.
As you may know the council will be bringing in new planning rules (called an Article 4 Direction) on 23rd March 2012, that will make it necessary for planning permission to be obtained before existing family homes can be turned into houses of multiple occupation (HMOs). These are rented properties with 3 - 6 unrelated people living there. Larger HMOs (6+ residents) have always required planning permission.
Over recent months the council has had a number of meetings with some residents associations, about having a policy to sit along side this new planning requirement, to help planners determine in which instances to give and refuse planning permission for HMOs. These meetings have been very helpful and we are grateful for all the input that has been have received from local people.
We want to bring to your attention that on 22nd December the council launched its formal consultation on the new planning policy. The details can be found online at: http://www.southampton.gov.uk/s-environment/policy/planningdocuments/hmo-spd.aspx.
If you have comments please submit these before the consultation close date, which is 5pm on 1st February.
In short the policy suggests that there should be a maximum threshold of HMOs in a given area. It is proposed that for Freemantle Ward this threshold be set at 20%. New applications for an HMO that would take the number over 20%, or in an area that already exceeds 20%, would generally be refused. The percentage threshold will apply to a 40m radius (or a minimum of the closest 10 properties) from the property in question.
In addition to this, as your local councillors, we have been fighting hard to tackle issues rightly brought to our attention by local residents:
1. Improved parking standards for HMO’s. Under the new policy, if adequate parking is not provided this will also be grounds for refusal. New parking standards for planning application for flats and houses (non HMOs) came into effect on 26th September 2011 and this should also help prevent parking problems in the area from getting much worse, as new developments are built.
2. More purpose built accommodation for students. I am pleased that Southampton University is now looking to provide more purpose built student accommodation in the city, as this will also do a great deal to protect existing family housing in Freemantle Ward.
3. Extra resources for planning enforcement. An extra planning enforcement officer will be included as part of the February council budget. Extra resources into planning enforcement will help to ensure that developers who flout planning rules are brought to task.
We would urge you to have a look at the council’s consultation and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
Councillors Jeremy Moulton, Michael Ball & Brian Parnell.
The Council’s Cabinet today confirmed a decision to implement planning rules which will give the council more control over the number and spread of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). This decision follows several months of consultation with residents groups, landlords and the universities. The rules which come into force on 23rd March 2012 will mean that family homes in Southampton will require planning permission before being able to be converted into HMOs. This is called an Article 4 direction.
Between now and 23rd March further work and consultation take place, looking at a suitable planning policy to sit alongside the Article 4 direction. This policy will also come into effect on 23rd March and will set out when it is suitable and not suitable for HMOs to be given planning permission. Areas like Freemantle are likely to have more protection as there are already large numbers of HMOs in the ward.
Southampton’s Conservative Council has taken the lead in embracing new planning powers (called an Article 4 Direction) which allow the council to manage Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) more effectively. In future, planning permission will be required for new HMOs. A formal decision will be taken by the council at its Cabinet on 14th March.
Southampton City Council is taking advantage of new powers made available by the government to better manage Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). As a port city with 2 universities, Southampton has areas with large concentrations of HMOs, leading to parking problems and other difficulties.New planning powers, called an Article 4 Direction will allow the council to require planning permission for new HMOs and will mean it is possible to refuse applications where they are inappropriate or set sensible conditions on the applicants. The council has announced that it will implement an Article 4 Direction as soon as possible and on Tuesday I headed a delegation from Southampton and Bournemouth to meet with Civil Servants in London from the Communities and Local Government Department to discuss how the new powers will work.
Southampton City Council is set to embrace new powers which will allow it to protect family homes and control where excessive concentrations of houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) spring up in the city.
Last week the council received government guidance on new ways to control HMOs – rented homes where three or more unrelated people live.
The council is now looking at the best way to use these new powers, named Article 4, which means it will be able to refuse new HMOs in Southampton, where they are appropriate.
Article 4 powers allow local authorities to implement strict planning rules in specific areas. The rules require landlords to attain planning permission before turning homes into rented HMOs.
These powers would allow us to look carefully at areas in the city where there are problems or issues with houses of multiple occupancy. We can also look at areas where there are concerns from residents about protecting where they live in the future.
It means we can insist that landlords apply for planning permission if they change the use of a house into a HMO.
As well as exploring how it will use Article 4, the council is also working with communities and organisations to make sure plenty of houses remain as family homes in Southampton.
We want to embrace diversity in Southampton and make sure we cater for all. However we must protect family homes and make sure Southampton is a place where families can live and enjoy. To do that we need to make sure there are lots of family homes for our residents to choose from. That is why as well as looking at these new powers, we are also working with people like private landlords and the University of Southampton, who we are supporting with their accommodations strategy.
For a long time I have been campaigning for local councils like Southampton to have more powers to manage houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).Over the past 10 years we have had numerous government ministers, visits and promises but very little action.As university numbers have increased, local residents, particularly those in the Portswood & the Polygon areas of Southampton, have sought to limit the further development of HMOs in the city, particularly to protect family homes which we know are essential for strong communities.
I am pleased that, after years of lobbying by local people, the city council and local councillors, the government has now signalled that it will act, with changes coming into force in April to require new HMOs to have planning permission.
The only information that Southampton City Council has received so far about this is a government press release. We are awaiting further details. I hope that the government is not rushing this initiative through and is clear about the detail. This is a very important problem for the city and, so long as the detail is right I will be welcoming this change as I feel that councils should have powers to tackle the issue in areas where it is an acute problem, such as in Southampton.
We need to ensure that we get the balance right between controlling problem HMOs and ensuring that housing needs are properly met for all groups in the city.
From meeting many residents associations over recent years I know that local people are concerned about the numbers and concentrations of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in Southampton.
Whilst HMOs play an important role in the city economy, meeting housing needs and providing choice, high concentrations are often associated with anti social behaviour, noise nuisance, parking problems and the loss of family housing.
Southampton is a student city with a growing student population. Also as a port city there is a substantial transient population. Given that, there is a considerable demand for HMO accommodation. However this demand needs to be careful managed to protect the character of communities and the residents who live there. In my view the objective should be the creation of balanced communities.
As it stands councils like Southampton have very few powers to manage HMOs. It is great news that the Government is now conducting a review on possible changes to planning laws relating to HMOs. These changes could give Southampton City Council much greater powers. The Government review has come after years of hard work and lobbying by local residents groups and the City Council.
The Communities and Local Government department published its ‘Studentification Paper’ over a year ago which argued strongly in favour of the Government changing the planning laws. It also highlighted the excellent work being done in Southampton by the City Council and the two universities to tackle issues relating to HMOs.
Currently planning permission is not required to convert a family house into an HMO. One of the options in the Government’s consultation is to require planning permission. If the change goes through the Council would be able to refuse inappropriate applications or attach specific condition to any planning approvals that are granted. Such conditions might include a requirement for adequate bin storage or parking provision. Such conditions are a regular feature for new blocks of flats but because of current planning laws they aren’t required for HMOs. Even garages and quite minor extensions require planning permission, so why not HMOs? In Northern Ireland HMOs require planning permission and it works well there, so why not here?
This is a change which I have been campaigning for, for some considerable time. In parts of Portswood and the Polygon now, some roads are already over 90% HMOs. It is therefore important that the Government acts quickly and proactively.
I have written to the Government pushing for urgent action.
