Council to consider planning permission requirement for new HMOs in borough

COUNCILLORS are to look at making it a borough-wide requirement for all planned houses in multiple occupation (HMO) in North East Lincolnshire to require full planning permission. The decision was made after an hour-long debate.

- By IVAN MORRIS POXTON

Currently, conversion of a house into an HMO does not need full planning permission if it will only house three to six residents. It instead can go ahead under permitted development rights, a simpler process.

But a legal mechanism called an Article 4 Direction can mean all new HMOs, regardless of size, must get full planning permission.

This does not stop HMOs from going ahead, and it cannot apply to existing HMOs. But it gives residents greater opportunity to have a say.

There are already six Article 4 Directions in the borough. But these cover very small areas.

At full council, it was agreed to create a select committee to look at introducing a borough-wide Article 4 Direction.

Residents have previously supported ward-wide Article 4 Directions, backing Liberal Democrat-created petitions.

There is already a cross-party cabinet working group on housing partly set up in 2024 to look at HMOs.