Residents demand tighter controls on HMOs in East Durham amid housing concerns
More than 150 people have signed a petition calling for Durham County Council to adopt a policy that informs all residents and the wider community of potential new applications
by Bill Edgar · ChronicleLiveCampaigners are calling on a council to address their concerns over housing issues in East Durham. The East Durham Communities Standing Together group, made up of worried residents, is demanding stricter controls on the number of homes being converted into Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
Earlier this year, Durham County Council was warned that some of the county's most deprived areas were being exploited by private landlords. A recent petition, signed by 153 people, requested the council to adopt a policy that would inform all residents and the wider community about potential new applications for HMOs in the East Durham area.
However, the local authority has refused to implement these measures in East Durham, citing the "low proportion of HMOs" and lack of evidence that they are causing problems. Dr Brian Brown, chair of the community group, said: "The attraction is clearly the price of housing. If you go to Blackhall or Horden there are streets of empty houses. There’s real concern among residents. One of the most compelling arguments against HMOs is that East Durham has ticked every metric against the index of deprivation, and still does. We shouldn’t be importing more deprivation, all it does is work to the detriment of the area."
Mr Brown, along with Matt Tough and other campaigners, gathered outside Durham County before a full council meeting to raise awareness of their campaign.
They are urging the local authority to introduce measures in the area, known as Article Four Direction, to manage the number of HMOs.
Mr Tough expressed: "We have no way of controlling how many HMOs are in the area. Applying Article Four Direction won’t stop them, but it will mean they all go through proper planning permission, which is only right given the amount of anxiety in the community. People are worried about houses being unnaturally converted."
Landlords or agents must seek planning permission to convert homes into HMOs for more than six people. If a house is rented out to six occupants or fewer, it is deemed permitted development and planning permission is not necessary.
However, the group claims that information from the Government regarding when it can introduce special measures contradicts the information provided by Durham County Council. .
Mr Brown stated that the council had declined to discuss their concerns. He added: "We want to put our arguments to the councillors and officials and let’s see what their arguments against ours are. "They seem to be very dishonest with councillors and what they’re saying doesn’t align with central government.
"Councillor James Rowlandson, cabinet member for resources, investment and assets, said the local authority is obliged to follow national legislation."
We can apply to the Government to implement an Article Four Direction where there is evidence of HMOs having a detrimental impact on the community. However, there is a very low proportion of HMOs in East Durham and there is no evidence that they are causing issues.
"The issue of HMOs was discussed in The Environment and Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Committee recently discussed the issue in depth as part of our housing strategy development. The committee will consider proposed amendments at a later meeting this year, with the public invited to submit questions beforehand. Following this, the matter will be presented to the Cabinet and Full Council in the new year."
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