Issue - meetings

In response to concerns about the impact of high levels of Houses in Multiple Occupation in Bath, the Cabinet considered a mixture of planning controls and housing-led solutions on 14th March 2012. The Cabinet agreed to make a non-immediate Article 4 Direction covering Houses in Multiple Occupation in Bath. Once confirmed, implementation of the Article 4 Direction requires a Supplementary Planning Policy to be effective.  The first draft of this has now been prepared entitled Houses in Multiple Occupation in Bath: Supplementary Planning Document (Consultation Draft) and is presented to Cabinet for agreement to publish for public consultation in Oct – Nov 2012.

The final decision to whether to implement the Article 4 Direction, adopt the Supplementary Planning Document and to proceed with Additional Licencing scheme for HMOs will follow in Spring 2013.

Councillor Will Sandry in an ad hoc statement thanked the Cabinet for addressing the issue.  He felt that the report contained a robust study of the issues and the consultation.  He recognised that some students would have concerns but he hoped that when they saw the full details they would be persuaded that the proposals were fair.

Councillor Geoff Ward said he appreciated that Councillor Tim Ball had involved him at an early stage of thinking.  He remained concerned however that the Article 4 approach would generate a high volume of applications and appeals which would prove very challenging to the Planning Department.  He was not convinced that special licensing would solve the HMO problem and felt that the money would have been better spent on enforcement.

Councillor Paul Crossley in proposing the item, said that he and the Chief Executive had met recently with students and the Vice Chancellors of both universities.  They had called on homes in Lawn Road and Shaftesbury Road to get a measure of the balance between HMO and family houses.  He explained that the enforcement route would have the effect of reducing student accommodation and would damage some communities.

Councillor Crossley emphasised that the proposals would not reduce the number of HMOs, but would make communities more mixed.  He emphasised that Cabinet was being asked to agree to consultation, not to make a final decision.  He asked Councillor Ward to submit his comments on enforcement during the consultation period.

Councillor Simon Allen seconded the proposal.

Councillor David Dixon said that the issue was not only the impact of HMOs but was about bringing homes back into use for families.  He related that people selling their homes are often inundated with offers from landlords wanting to convert the home to an HMO and felt that this created a false market which he hoped would soon level out.

On a motion from Councillor Tim Ball, seconded by Councillor Simon Allen, it was

RESOLVED (unanimously)

(1) To AGREE the Houses in Multiple Occupation in Bath: Supplementary Planning Document (Consultation Draft) for public consultation;

(2) To DELEGATE authority to the Divisional Director of Planning & Transport, in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing, to make final graphic and minor textual amendments prior to publication of the Draft Houses in Multiple Occupation in Bath Supplementary Planning Document;

(3) To NOTE the responses from the Article 4 Direction public consultation in response to the “intention to implement” notice (Appendix B) and the findings presented in the Stakeholder workshop report; and

(4) To NOTE the Equalities Impact Assessment of the draft SPD and the draft Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report.