Sefton Council is proposing to implement a legal order to give local people more influence over proposals for Houses in Multiple Occupation
Any plans to turn a house into a HMO would have to seek planning permission(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
“Urgency powers” are to be used by Sefton Council to wrestle back control over planning applications for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). The council will propose an ‘Article 4’ legal order, which would give local people more influence over proposals for HMOs across the borough.
A council can use an ‘Article 4 Direction’ to stop the ‘over-concentration’ of HMOs by withdrawing certain “permitted development rights” for property owners. This means property owners must apply for planning permission to convert a family home into a small HMO, rather than being able to do so without permission.
In effect, HMO applications would be subject to the same local planning decisions as other developments and local residents would be able to engage with a consultation process.
Currently, HMO applications can use ‘permitted planning’ rights and be approved without input from the planning authority or the local community. This means any change of use from a dwelling house to a small HMO can occur without the need for planning permission and the council has no control over which properties are used.
Sefton Council’s proposal comes just a couple of months after the Liverpool ECHO reported on a similar order for Aintree when hundreds of campaigners fought for more autonomy in local decision-making. The council announced today (September 10) that it is now seeking to apply Article 4 to the whole borough, as residents have continued to raise concerns about HMOs.
Councillor Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “Since taking action across the borough, and more latterly in Aintree, we have seen a huge number of people come forward in support of what we have done. Residents in other parts of the borough are now calling for similar action, which is why we have decided to take this unusual step.
“HMOs do play a role in our community, and this move would not prevent an HMO from being created – instead it puts an extra check and balance in place by requiring planning permission so local people can have a say on any plans that are put forward.
“The key thing is that local people should have an input into what’s happening in their community, and we think this is something that should be tackled nationally but for the time being this would be us as a council doing all that we can to listen to our residents.”
Article 4 Directions are already in operation and apply in certain parts of Sefton, including Southport, Bootle, Seaforth, Litherland and Waterloo, and have done so for some time. To put the order in place, the local authority said evidence must demonstrate why it is required and ‘in this case it is felt that there is sufficient evidence’.
The council added that it is looking to implement to the order after considering the ‘impact on the character’ of the borough and‘the pressure concentrated numbers of HMOs may put on public services’.
Cllr Atkinson added: “We know this is really important for residents so we will use our urgency powers to take this to our next cabinet meeting in October.”
“This would very much be a preemptive move given the concerns of residents and I hope it reassures them we are looking to act in their best interests.
“In the longer term we think this is an issue that needs addressing nationally and there needs to be a better way to manage changes in local communities so residents can have an influence on what happens in their local neighbourhood.”
It is expected that a decision on Article 4 will be taken at Sefton Council’s October cabinet meeting.