Agenda item

Manager in charge of Development Management – planning applications come to this section in Planning

Facts about HIMO – it is usually people who are unrelated who will be living together with shared facilities.

A house with 2 lodgers still counts as a house but with 3 lodgers would count as a HIMO.

Houses can also be divided into flats but they are not HIMOs.

Under Planning Legislation, you can have 6 people living together as a family, and where care is provide, it will still be considered as a house and not a HIMO.

Planning permission is not normally required to change a house to a HIMO for up to 6 people, as that is what is considered to be “permitted development”.  However, as the Council is concerned about the cumulative impact of HIMOs, Article 4 Directions have been created means that in certain areas, planning permission will be required.

The first Article 4 Direction was created in 2011 for Sunnyside Ward because of the university. Now Abington and Castle Wards, Town Centre and Far Cotton areas are covered by Article 4 Directions.

The university is moving to Waterside so Article 4 Direction was added to the Far Cotton areas where landlords would buy and rent out houses to students.

In addition to Planning Permission, some HIMOs also need to be licenced under Private Sector Housing.

Currently HIMOs in 3 storey buildings with 5 and more people would come under mandatory licensing.  Also HIMOs in 2 storey buildings with 3 or more people in Sunnyside and Abington Areas would be covered by Additional Licensing scheme.

From 1^st October, the mandatory licensing scheme will be extended to any property with 5 people or more.

In the eastern district, as it is not currently covered by an Article 4 Direction, you can have up to 6 people in a HIMO without planning permission.

Private Sector Housing’s licensing scheme will look at room sizes, kitchen and toilet facilities and fire doors.

Loughborough University are doing some research on behalf of the Council to look whether the Interim Planning Policy would need to be revised, including impact of concentration and the change of character of an area.

Q: Does article 4 cover Headlands and Eastfield.

A: No, it does not cover there.

TM we are seeing a lot of these conversions and extensions happening and the parking on the main road is a problem now. NPH may be looking to add garages and with 6 schools in near proximity, this is causing some issues.

Q: Can it be monitored if more people (friends, partners etc.) come over to properties and stay overnight.

A: There is not enough resources to monitor unless there were complaints.  There is normally restriction on how many occupants should be in a HIMO. Planning Enforcement Officers would go out and investigate to check whether planning conditions are complied with.

Q: How long are these licenses given out?

A: Some of the better managed houses will be licensed for 5 years and other will be licensed for less.

Q: Are Semilong and Kingsthorpe areas Article 4?

A: Yes they are.

Q: How would you deal with people who haven’t followed the correct protocol?

A: They can apply for retrospective permission. If they have all the documents such as tenancy agreements etc to proof that the use has been established for over 4 years continuously, they can get retrospective approval.

If someone who has done this the wrong way and an area has already got over concentration problem, they may not get permission in the future.

Q: What happens if a landlord has permission but puts more people in?

A: We will gather evidence and if they do not stop, we can carry out enforcement action against breaches of planning control.