News / Housing
Extra rules for HMO conversions
Extra rules are coming for landlords who want to convert family homes in some parts of Bristol into shared houses.
Bristol City Council is extending the areas where landlords must apply for planning permission to convert a house into a house of multiple occupation (HMO).
These “Article Four” directions remove permitted development rights, and add an extra step in checking the proliferation of HMOs.
The Article Four rules will be extended into numerous Bristol wards – photo: Ayan Aidid
The rules will be extended into nine different areas: Stapleton, Broomhill, Lockleaze, Southmead, Westbury Park, Brislington, around Fishponds Road, Muller Road and St George.
Landlords will need to apply for planning permission to convert family homes into small houses of multiple occupation shared between three and six unrelated individuals.
Normally, this is allowed via permitted development rights and doesn’t need a planning application.
Changes to an HMO with more than six people already require planning permission.
The rules won’t take effect for another 12 months. The changes were approved by councillors on the economy and skills policy committee on Monday.
They were sparked after rising concerns that high concentrations of HMOs in certain neighbourhoods were harming residential communities.
Simone Wilding, head of planning, said: “We hadn’t done a review of the Article Four areas that control the proliferation of HMOs in Bristol for about five years.
“Given there has been quite a lot of concern raised from various members, we felt it was time to do another review.
“There has been in some areas evidence found that it was right and supportable to extend those areas.”
Maps show the proposed areas to be affected by changes to the HMO rules – photo: Bristol City Council
Harmful impacts of a high concentration of HMOs include noise and disturbance, changes to the character of a neighbourhood, less social cohesion, and more parking and bins problems.
The rise in the number of HMOs is partly driven by the city’s universities expanding, while landlords can often charge higher rent to a few single people than one family, for the same size house.
Another review is likely within the next few years, to check where else in the city lots of houses are getting converted into HMOs.
One factor that could affect conversions is the University of Bristol’s new Enterprise Campus, opening in September behind Temple Meads train station.
Green councillor for Knowle Toby Wells said: “It’s a really important issue to keep on top of.
“We’re having the Temple Quarter campus opening soon which might have an impact on some wards like my own [Knowle], which currently aren’t massively affected by HMOs. But the new campus might change that.”
Main photo: Betty Woolerton
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