Landlords are furious about HMO proposal
LANDLORDS furious about plans to change legislation relating to the creation of multiple occupancy homes (HMOs) in Northampton have handed in more than 60 protest letters to the Guildhall.
A consultation on whether Northampton Borough Council should bring in a non-immediate Article 4 direction within the wards of Castle, Abington, Trinity, Phippsville, Semilong, Kingsley, Kingsthorpe, St David’s, Sunnyside, Spring Park, Obelisk and Delapre and Briar Hill, ended on Monday.
The direction, which is set to come into force on March 14 next year, would mean landlords have to apply for planning permission to convert a single occupancy home into an HMO.
The council has already imposed an immediate Article 4 Direction within the wards of Sunnyside, St David’s and Obelisk, in Kingsthorpe, following pressure from residents in the area who petitioned for action following soaring numbers of HMOs in the region.
John Socha, chairman of the Northampton branch of the Landlord’s Association, which has 350 members in Northampton, said: “We have handed in a total of 62 objections, from letting agents to landlords.
“This article will be a huge disadvantage to anyone who wants to house-share due to the delays that will be caused by applying for planning permission and all the bureaucracy involved.
“Not everyone can afford to buy a house.
“They have no justification for doing this and it doesn’t seem to be evidence based at all.
“Multiple occupancy housing is the smallest section of the housing market at the moment.”
Mary Markham, of Whitfield Way, who spearheaded the Sunnyside residents campaign to bring in HMOs, said: “We are convinced the Article 4 will improve the problems we have faced.
“It is a problem all over Northampton, which needs to be dealt with.”
A spokesman for Northampton Borough Council said: “In response to concerns raised by local residents we have been consulting on the use of Article 4 Directions to protect the character and amenities of two areas of the town.
“This is something that local people asked us to do, and the consultation process allowed anyone to have their say in support or opposition to the plans.
“Now that the consultation has finished we will fully consider every response received.”
Email to a friend
Print this page- BREAKING NEWS: Tributes paid to Niamh Curry as brave five-year-old loses battle against cancer
- BREAKING NEWS: Pensioner dies after collision at Northampton shopping centre
- Man tied to tree and beaten on Northampton Racecourse
- BREAKING NEWS: Woman’s body found after ‘suicide’ in Northampton hotel room
- BREAKING NEWS: Seven-year-old boy dies following house fire in Northamptonshire
- Northampton binmen at ‘breaking point’
- Staff strike at Northampton school over academy plans forces closure
- Saints’ stadium plans get support as long as traffic issues solved
- Eastern European pupils helping school standards across Northampton
- Exclusive: PM David Cameron says Northamptonshire Police Commissioner role is “a big job for a big local figure”
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Northampton
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 1 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
HOS
Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 09:44 PMThese people should try living next door to one of these "multi-occupancy" houses? They would do well to learn what its like with the manyfold proplems of very temporary occupants. The landlord of the mutli occupancy house next door does`nt leave his phone number with anyone in our community because he is frightened of having to deal with the consequences from the community. When asked he says I`m not the landlord, but we know he is (Gutless). Getting the police or Environmental health to do anything is like talking to stale cheese. Where is the landlords accountability to the community effected by the poor behavior of these transitional tenants ?
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.