Agenda item

Gillingham South Ward

Change of use from Class (C4) HMO to sui-generis 7 bed HMO.

Discussion:

The Senior Planner outlined the application in detail for the change of use from Class (C4) House in multiple occupation (HMO) to sui-generis 7 bed HMO.

With the agreement of the Committee, Councillor Louwella Prenter addressed the Committee as Ward Councillor and raised the following concerns:

• The number of HMOs in Gillingham was increasing.  Family homes were now being replaced by HMOs which removed much needed affordable family housing.  We do not want an over development which resulted in residents living on top of each other.
• Living in one room could affect the resident’s mental health. 
• Concern regarding extra vehicle movements either from those living there or from their visitors.  If residents were shift workers, there could be noise and movement 24 hours a day.
• This HMO could have a negative impact and put excessive stress on neighbours through increased noise and the reduction of light to their home. 
• Refuse storage, as there was no rear access, the rubbish that was stored in the rear garden would be required to be brought through the house on bin day.  Or would it just be left out the front of the property all the time. 
• We should limit the number of HMOs within a certain distance.

The Committee discussed the planning application noting the points raised by the Ward Councillor. 

The Committee acknowledged that there was high demand for people waiting for this type of accommodation, however, care should be taken to ensure that there were not too many HMOs within the same area.  Members noted the concerns from residents’ complaints of a proliferation of HMOs within the local area.

The Chairperson clarified that there could be up to six residents living within a HMO which would not require planning permission but how was concerned about the increase and acceptance of planning applications for 7 or more residents.  The Senior Planner confirmed that condition 4 stated that “the house of multiple occupation hereby approved shall be occupied by a maximum of seven people”.  That would include residents using the same room throughout a 24-hour period, for example one using the room during the day and one during the night, that would, therefore, equate to two residents. 

The Senior Planner had provided a land use map which showed the number of registered HMOs, however, it was acknowledged that there could be hidden HMOs across Medway that could not be accounted for.

Some Members were concerned with the size of the accommodation and outdoor space.  The report confirmed that all bedrooms exceeded the space standard guidelines and that there were communal spaces including a kitchen and a separate living / dining room. 

Members discussed how the prevalence of having too many HMOs in one area could affect the community cohesion of the area. They discussed looking at no more than 10% of HMOs in one specific area.

The Chief Planning Officer informed Members that Medway Council continued to encourage university students, staff from Medway Hospital and young professionals to live in the area and a HMO may be the only type of accommodation that they could afford.  Medway Council prioritised its expectations of developers to improve the standard of these types of accommodation and the internal room sizes.  In the past, room sizes in these properties definitely would not have met the statutory space guidelines.  This property did and, in some rooms, significantly exceeded the space requirements.  

The Chief Planning Officer confirmed that condition 6 dealt with refuse facilities.  He did suggest that the condition could be amended to include the requirement for a Refuse Management Strategy to ensure that waste was not left out of the front of the property apart from on bin day. 

As Members requested to see all the HMOs located within a 500-metre radius, Members agreed to defer this application and the next two planning applications so that officers could provide this information.  The Chief Planning Officer also stated the team would look into data on hidden HMOs and that all the information would be brought back to a future Planning Committee meeting for determination.

Decision:      

DEFERRED so that officers could do further research into the number of HMOs within a 500-metre radius and report back to a future Planning Committee meeting.