New restrictions to make it harder to turn family homes in north Bristol into bedsits are set to be introduced. South Gloucestershire Council is expected to approve proposals that would require landlords in Filton and in Stoke Park and Cheswick to apply for planning permission to convert properties into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) that would not usually need consent.
It follows overwhelming support from 93 per cent in a public consultation to the introduction of measures called Article 4 directions (A4D) amid a huge rise in concerns about neighbourhoods becoming overrun with shared homes and the loss of communities, along with antisocial behaviour, parking, litter and noise complaints. The move is the latest effort by the council to tackle the problem after it adopted new local planning rules last September which set limits on concentrations of HMOs, although the impact has been mixed because it only takes into account registered bedsits.
While some of the “constant barrage” of applications have been refused under the policy, others have been granted controversially where residents have insisted there are more HMOs in the area than the council’s official figures, such as those which do not require a licence. The new restrictions aim to plug this loophole by withdrawing permitted development rights for small HMOs so that they would need consent after being considered against planning policy and the effect they would have on the local community.
