Loophole on student homes still open

Recently an HMO (house in multiple occupation) on Triangle North, Oldfield Park, was allowed to extend with an attic conversion.

There are 29 properties on this street and according to the 2016 public register, 26 of these arehmos. This street is almost 90 per cent HMOS.

I believe this is the most extreme case but there are many other streets in Oldfield Park that are way above the saturation levels.

Article 4 has been brought in to limit the density of HMOS to 10 to 25 per cent.

Many of these licences are in the process of being renewed but I’ve been told by B&NES that they have no powers to revoke any of these licences. No part of the HMO SPD/ Article 4 stops existing HMOS expanding. They also seem to be allowed to extend even though the density of the properties.

In December 2018 about 25 people made representations to the Draft Local Plan consultation process on this point, to try to get this loophole closed.

Councillors have been asked to act, but... nothing. So the loophole remains open.

This really frustrates the local community and has done for years. There are also plans to renovate the Scala building in Oldfield Park with 96 student rooms which has received over 100 objections on the B&NES planning website. But planners seem to have their own agendas and rules that leaves the community without any say.

Plans for purpose built student

accommodation (PBSA) have also been put forward for a site on Lower Bristol Road claiming they “will reduce the need for students to occupy conventional residential dwellings which could otherwise be occupied by families (HMOS).”

There appears to be no truth to this claim.

John Diver Oldfield Park