Agenda item

From the Cabinet held on 14 March 2023

Further to Minute 105 of the Cabinet, the City Council considered a report of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services which provide information on Homes in Multiple Occupation Development Plan Document Proposed Submission (Regulation 19) Consultation document.

Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) can provide important accommodation for a range of people including those entering the housing market. However, they can also bring significant disruption to settled neighbourhoods. In order to ensure that HMOs can only come forward in ways that integrate with existing neighbourhoods a Development Plan Document (DPD) was consulted upon between 20 September and 15 November 2022 which identified the key issues and proposed planning policy responses, details of which were provided in the report. The DPD was amended to take into account the results of the consultation and appended to the report. 

DPDs need to be taken through a formal six-week publication period (‘Regulation 19’), to enable people to make focused representations on whether the Plan has been positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy, before the document is submitted to the Secretary of State for examination. These are the issues which the appointed Planning Inspector will focus on when they examine the Plan and consider whether it is suitable for the Council to adopt it.

The report sought authority to undertake the Regulation 19 publication period consultation on the ‘proposed submission’ HMO DPD and associated Strategic Environmental Assessment / Sustainability Appraisal and Equalities / Health Impact Assessment, a copy of which was also appended to the report.

The report also sought authority, once the publication period has closed, to submit the DPD and associated documentation to the Secretary of State for independent examination by an appointed Planning Inspector.

It was noted that when the HMO DPD report was authorised for the initial Regulation 18 consultation by Cabinet on 30th August 2022 and Council on 6th September 2022, a consultation on an Article 4 Direction (to remove Permitted Development Rights from HMOs in certain wards) was also authorised at the same time. The Article 4 Direction is not included in the report considered as it is following a different legal process and therefore reports on this matter will be submitted to Cabinet and Council at the appropriate time.

RESOLVED that Council:-

1)   Approves the Proposed Submission Homes in Multiple Occupation Development Plan Document and associated Strategic Environmental Assessment / Sustainability Appraisal and Equalities / Health Impact Assessment for a six-week publication period to begin at the earliest opportunity.

2)  Delegates authority to the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to submit the Development Plan Document and supporting documentation to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities once the publication period has closed, to enable independent examination by a Planning Inspector to take place.

3)  Delegates authority to the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to authorise any non-substantive changes to the documents prior to consultation and prior to submission.