Agenda item

Report of the Director of City Services

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of City Services which sought authority to undertake a six-week consultation on the Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) Development Plan Document (DPD) modifications.

HMOs could provide important accommodation for a range of people including those entering the housing market. However, they could also bring significant disruption to settled neighbourhoods. In order to ensure that HMOs could only come forward in ways that integrate with existing neighbourhoods, a Development Plan Document (DPD) and accompanying Sustainability Scoping/Appraisal were consulted on between 20 September and 15 November 2022 at Regulation 18 and between 27 March and 15 May 2023 at Regulation 19;  these consultations were undertaken in the formulation of the DPD which was then submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in September 2023, with hearings held in January 2024. 

Further to the findings at examination, the Council now sought to undertake a six-week consultation upon modifications now agreed with the planning inspector, this being in line with legislative requirements and the adopted Coventry City Council Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).

The HMO DPD Main Modifications document as attached at Appendix two of the report would need to be published for a formal six-week period consultation to seek views on the proposed Main Modifications only. This was not an opportunity to raise matters that either were, or could have been, part of the earlier representations or hearings on the submitted plan. Comments would need to be focussed on matters of soundness. These would be the issues on which the appointed Planning Inspector would focus and consider before issuing the final report and whether the Council could proceed to adoption of the DPD.

It was also a requirement, as set out in the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (SEA Regulations), to undertake Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal (SEA/SA) for Development Plan Documents and therefore the SA addendum attached as Appendix three to the report would also form part of the statutory consultation.

For completeness, the Equalities/Health Impact assessment would also be made available for public comment.

Members welcomed the consultation as it meant that progress was being made to improve and protect neighbourhoods. The Cabinet Member considered this a big step forward in terms of improving HMOs in the city and was pleased that this went through with relatively few minor changes. The Cabinet Member also thanked officers and the Planning Inspector for considering this, which formed one part of the work being done in the city to improve neighbourhoods and standards. He added that additional licensing was starting to have an impact in the city, and this would provide another option to push back on poor quality developments.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member:

1.  Notes the content of the Main Modifications to the HMO DPD contained at Appendix Two of the report and the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) incorporating Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) & Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) Addendum Note at Appendix Three along with the Equalities/Health Impact Assessment at Appendix Six and authorises the commencement of a public consultation for no less than 6 weeks.

2.  Delegates authority to the Strategic Lead for Planning, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to make any non-substantive amendments to the documentation prior to consultation and to agree date for the consultation.

3.  Notes that following the public consultation, the feedback on the Main Modifications will need to be sent to the Inspector to enable them to consider any further matters raised. Once the Inspector’s final report is issued, provided this finds the plan sound and capable of adoption, a further report including the final version of the DPD will be brought to Cabinet and Full Council (as required) for consideration and formal adoption.