Council Plans Tougher Rules on HMO Conversions

Reading Borough Council is proposing tighter rules to make converting family homes into flats harder across large parts of the town.

Homes of multiple occupation (HMOs) can be self-contained flats or individual rooms with shared kitchens and bathrooms. Landlords already need a licence for HMOs of five or more people, and the council introduced discretionary licensing for three- to four-person HMOs in May.

The council wants to use an Article 4 Direction to remove permitted development rights that allow a house to be converted into an HMO for three to six unrelated people without planning permission.

The proposed Article 4 area covers parts of Thames, Katesgrove, Redlands, Park and Church wards. In central Thames and Katesgrove it runs from Katesgrove Lane to Sidmouth Street and includes the Orts Road estate. In Redlands and Park it covers New Town and properties north of London Road. In the Whitley area it would include the Hexham Road estate, Northcourt Avenue and a stretch of Shinfiweld Road, and it would also include homes in Basingstoke Road.

These places have already seen a sizeable number of homes converted into HMOs. A request for controls on HMOs was made by Hilary Kemp, who lives in St Bartholomew's Road in Park ward, back in July 2023.

The new Article 4 Direction would sit alongside an existing direction that already covers much of Park, Redlands and Katesgrove. If approved following a consultation, it would come into force 12 months after being made.

The council accepts there is strong demand for single-occupancy flats for students and young professionals, but says clusters of HMOs can cause issues such as overflowing bins, parking pressure and changes to a neighbourhood's character.

Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley), lead councillor for planning, said: "There continues to be huge demand for private rental properties in Reading, and it follows that the number of HMOs we see being created is increasing. The council has a responsibility to retain and preserve the character of local communities, however, and that is something we need to balance with the demand for HMOs.

"We know that a prevalence of HMOs in parts of our town can lead to issues in a local community. Examples include pressure on limited parking or multiple bin collections at HMO addresses. More fundamentally, HMOs can change the look, feel and character of a local neighbourhood, which existing residents understandably have concerns over.

"By creating a new Article 4 direction area and ensuring property owners are required to submit a planning application to create a small HMO, the council is able to intervene where we believe a conversion is unsuitable or will have a detrimental impact on the community or on close neighbours. Without this proposed change, under permitted development rights owners would automatically be able to proceed with a conversion without any overview from the council's planning function."

The new Article 4 Direction will be discussed at a Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport Committee meeting on November 12.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter