Stoke-on-Trent City Council is planning a major crackdown on the number and quality of HMOs across the city.

The package of measures includes a city-wide Article 4 Direction which would remove development rights to convert family homes without a planning application, and an additional licensing scheme.

The new rules would prevent clusters of HMOs appearing; new HMOs would not be allowed where they would mean that HMOs make up more than 5% of all residential properties within a 50-metre radius. There will also be a cap on the total number of HMOs within each ward set at 4% of residential properties for those already with a very high number of HMOs, 2.5% for wards where there are a high number, and 1.5% for all other wards. There also wouldn't be two HMOs side-by-side with a single frontage, and other homes would not be sandwiched between two HMOs.

Hopes

The council also hopes to bring in additional licensing - subject to the outcome of an upcoming consultation.

The proposals - which will be considered by cabinet next week - are part of drive to limit the growth of HMOs and address concerns raised by residents about the impact of high concentrations of shared housing, says the authority.

Reports

It reports that an independent review on the impact of HMOs in Stoke-on-Trent found that in all but one of the city’s wards, at least 1% of homes are HMOs, with significantly higher percentages in some urban areas.

Councillor Duncan Walker, cabinet member for safe and resilient communities and housing, explains that HMOs are an important step on the ladder for people looking for a home, but that they need to be of high quality and proportionate. “For this reason, they need to be strictly controlled to ensure they do not have a disproportionate impact on neighbourhoods and are of a sufficiently high standard,” he adds. “So, we are proposing to take the toughest action we can to ensure this.”

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