HMOs: Controls in Place at Last

In November the Council put into effect an "Article 4 direction" which covers much of North Jesmond ward and a number of other areas across the city. From now on, planning permission will be required to convert a family home into a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) in most parts of the ward.

There will be a number of grounds on which planning permission can be refused, including the fact that:

There would be harm to the amenity of neighbouring residents through the introduction of additional activity, access, traffic or parking at the property which would cause an unacceptable increase in noise and disturbance; and

The proposal would lead to a level of concentration of such uses that would be damaging to the character of the area.

Councillor Peter Breakey sent a detailed response to the Consultation document. He commented: "There are already more than enough HMOs in North Jesmond. The article 4 direction will help to preserve the character of several Jesmond streets which have been threatened by over-intensive development."