From July 2012 planning permission will be needed in some areas of the borough to control the conversion of houses to ‘houses in multiple occupation’.
What is a ‘house in multiple occupation’?
The definition of a house in multiple occupation is complex, but is generally understood to mean that the occupants are not related and not renting ‘together’ so:
- rental arrangements are in place with a number of tenants and the landlord is responsible for filling vacancies and allocating rooms
- and occupants are responsible for their rooms rather than the whole house and are able to lock their bedroom doors but there is shared use of facilities such as eating and cooking areas.
Article 4 Direction
In July 2011, following public consultation, a decision was taken to impose an article four direction. The article four direction means that anyone wishing to create an house in multiple occupation in the area it covers will have to apply for planning permission. The planning application would be considered against the council’s planning policies.
To ensure the council is fair to any landlords who have bought their properties in advance of the changes, the planning restriction will not come into force for 12 months (22 July 2012). A copy of the notice of confirmation is available to view below.
Why was an article 4 direction introduced?
Under new national regulations, there is no longer a requirement for landlords or home owners to apply for planning permission before they can use a property as a house in multiple occupation.
This is when, for example, rooms in the same property are let to different unrelated tenants – a common example being student accommodation.
The ‘article four direction’, when in enforce, will mean that planning permission will be needed for conversion to a house in multiple occupation in Basingstoke town and Chineham and the surrounding villages of Old Basing, Oakley and Sherborne St John, including West End. A map of the area cover by the article 4 direction is attached below.
The proposal is aimed at keeping a balance between the need for this type of housing to be available in the borough and ensuring that changes to the kind of housing does not have an impact on established communities. The areas were chosen to address specific concerns in Basingstoke town centre and avoid any knock-on effect for surrounding areas.
Comments received in response to the consultation exercise are summarised below.
