Issue - meetings

Committee is asked to make a recommendation to Council to:

1.    Adopt the Houses in Multiple Occupation Supplementary Planning Document (HMO SPD) as set out in Appendix 1; and

2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee (E&S) to make minor amendments prior to publication including a summary and glossary in the final version of the SPD.

The Committee resolved to recommend to Council to:

1.    Adopt the Houses in Multiple Occupation Supplementary Planning Document (HMO SPD) as set out at Appendix 1; and

2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee to make minor amendments prior to publication including a summary and glossary in the final version of the SPD.

The Committee considered the Managing the Development of Houses in Multiple Occupation Supplementary Planning Document with comments from relevant stakeholders and the public after a consultation period. The Interim Planning Development Manager set out the changes to the document as a result of the consultation which included changing the order of assessment criteria and a tighter radius of a 40-metre assessment area rather than a 100-metre assessment area.

Councillor Williams left the meeting at 19:57 and returned at 18:00.

The Committee noted the impact the Supplementary Planning Document would have from a planning perspective, but expressed concern that there may still be a number of unregistered Houses of Multiple Occupation through Licensing, which was covered under different legislation. The Interim Planning Development Manager assured the Committee that work was being undertaken within Environmental Health to develop a uniform approach. The Committee acknowledged the Supplementary Planning Document could not be retrospectively applied.

The Committee resolved to recommend to Council to:

1.     Adopt the Houses in Multiple Occupation Supplementary Planning Document (HMO SPD) as set out at Appendix 1; and

2.     Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee to make minor amendments prior to publication including a summary and glossary in the final version of the SPD.