Crawley Borough Council has introduced new Article 4 Directions so homes can no longer without planning permission be converted to Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
HMOs, which accommodate between three and six unrelated individuals, will now need planning permission in the following 10 locations:
Aintree Road and Epsom Road, Furnace Green
Arden Road, Furnace Green
Ardingly Close, Ifield
Beverley Mews, Three Bridges
Caburn Heights, Southgate
Farmleigh Close, Pound Hill
Rillside and Winterfold, Furnace Green
Ringwood Close, Furnace Green
Victoria Mews, West Green
Weald Drive, Furnace Green.
The permitted development rights have been removed so anyone wishing to convert a property in these areas an HMO must apply for planning permission by submitting a change of use planning application to the council.
The Article 4 Directions also seek to limit some of the negative environmental impacts, which can arise from the cumulative effect of multiple HMOs in a small area. The approach is consistent with the overall role of the planning system in promoting strong, balanced communities.
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Councillor Atif Nawaz, Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development, said: “We’ve responded to significant concerns raised by residents and implemented these Article 4 Directions.
“We were seeing growing evidence that HMOs were clustering in these areas, which contain a large number of three-storey townhouses.
“By bringing in these directions we’re able to reduce the negative impacts like noise and parking problems.”
The Article 4 Directions were approved by the council’s Cabinet in February 2021. They were ‘non-immediate’, meaning that a 12-month notification period and a consultation had to be carried out before they could take effect. These have now been completed and the Directions came into force on Wednesday (15 June).
For more details visit crawley.gov.uk/A4D