Reform UK councillors block two HMOs as Jonathan Gullis promises to 'take back control'

Councillors have refused plans to turn a vacant office building near Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre into two Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), after more than 30 local residents objected to the proposals.

The application concerned the building on the corner of Well Street and Garden Street, with plans to create accommodation for up to 10 people. The applicant said the HMOs would provide short-term accommodation for junior doctors and nurses working at the nearby Royal Stoke University Hospital.

However, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's planning committee voted to refuse the application, with concerns raised about the existing concentration of HMOs in the area.

The decision was made under the council's existing planning policy, which states that HMOs should not account for more than 10 per cent of residential properties within a 100-metre radius. Planning officers had recommended approval, saying there were three licensed HMOs in the area, although residents argued the actual number was higher because smaller HMOs do not necessarily require a licence or planning permission.

The latest decision comes as the Reform UK-led council prepares to take a tougher approach to HMOs across Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Council leader Jonathan Gullis has been promoting plans for an Article 4 Direction, which would mean certain HMO conversions could no longer take place under permitted development rights and would instead have to go through the full planning process.

That would give residents and councillors a greater opportunity to scrutinise proposed HMO conversions and raise objections before decisions are made.

Gullis has described the planned Article 4 Direction as a way to “take back control” of HMOs, arguing that local communities should have a stronger say over changes to their neighbourhoods.

The proposed direction is due to be considered this autumn and would represent a significant change to the way new HMOs are dealt with across the borough.

For Reform UK and Gullis, the issue is becoming an increasingly visible part of their approach to planning and local communities, with the latest HMO refusal providing another example of the debate surrounding shared accommodation in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The council says the Article 4 process is intended to give residents and councillors a proper say over future HMO proposals, rather than allowing qualifying conversions to happen without going through the planning system.

Six Towns Daily note: While reporting on the HMO decision, we believe it is important to provide the wider context surrounding the council's proposed Article 4 Direction. The Sentinel's report on the application does not mention the forthcoming Article 4 plans. Here at Six Towns Daily, we believe local residents deserve the full picture when important changes to planning and their communities are being proposed.