Hyndburn clamps down on HMOs to address ‘spiral of decline’

Developers hoping to deliver shared houses in nine of the borough’s wards will soon no longer be able to do so under permitted development rights.

Hyndburn Council will next week sign off an Article 4 direction that will force HMO developers to seek permission for small HMOs – properties home to between three and six unrelated individuals.

The wards that fall within the scope of the Article 4 are Barnfield, Central, Church, Clayton-le-Moors, Netherton, Peel, Rishton, Spring Hill, and St. Andrews

The growing number of HMOs in these areas is placing “burdens and stress on already deprived communities”, according to a council report.

Hyndburn acknowledges that HMOs are not all bad – they provide housing choices for low-income households, young professionals, and refugees – but that there is a “concern” that if HMO development goes on unchecked, the social problems in the area will increase.

The report states: “Higher than average concentrations of rented properties and houses in multiple occupation can have an unacceptable adverse impact on the socio-economic profile of these areas and as a consequence may result in families moving out of central areas and contributing to a spiral of decline.”

A similar tactic has been adopted by other councils across the country, including Salford. There, the city council has made it harder and more expensive for developers to convert a property into a small shared house across most of the city.

The authority has widened an Article 4 direction already in place across the majority of its 20 wards. The direction removes permitted development rights that allow for the creation of houses in multiple occupation for up to six unrelated residents.

The aim of this approach is to give the authority more control over where HMOs are developed to mitigate against some of the negative outputs they can produce.