New rules to set limits for HMOS

Planning rules to stop high concentrations of houses in multiple occupation (HMOS) have been adopted by Bath and North East Somerset Council.

HMOS are houses with three or more people from two or more families living together in a residence.

The council has revised its HMO Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) following a consultation with stakeholders including local residents, resident associations, estate agents, Bath Student Community Partnership and Bath Spa University.

The changes, approved by Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for planning and licensing in a single member decision, include simplifying the tests the council uses to assess applications for new HMOS and providing additional guidance on the so-called “sandwich test”.

Applications will not be permitted where it would result in any residential property being “sandwiched” between two HMOS, or where the application tips the concentration to 10 per cent or more HMO properties within a 100m radius of the application property, or where there is already a concentration of 10 per cent or more.

Councillor Ball said: “HMOS have an important role to play in the local housing offer, providing accommodation for a wide range of people from young professionals to students, immigrants, asylum seekers, those on housing benefit and contract workers.

“However, over recent years we have seen HMOS become concentrated in certain areas.

“These changes will ensure our communities remain sustainable with a wide variety and balance of accommodation.”

The HMO SPD also includes additional guidance to support updated policies in the Local Plan Partial Update (LPPU), which was recently submitted for examination. Once the LPPU is adopted, the updated policies will include a requirement for all new HMOS to achieve an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above and to provide a good standard of accommodation (in relation to room sizes, noise reduction measures etc.).

The LPPU will also widen the scope of the current policy to include planning applications in Bath city for the change of use from residential (C3) to small HMO (C4) and applications district-wide for: change of use from C3 residential (C3) to large HMO of more than six people (sui generis); new build HMOS; change of use to HMO from other uses, for example commercial; the intensification of small HMOS (C4) to large HMOS (sui generis).