East Suffolk Council
Have your say on new planning document
East Suffolk residents and businesses are invited to have their say on a new planning document that provides guidance for the conversion of buildings to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in the former Waveney area.
A consultation on the draft HMO ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ Guidance Note, which provides guidance on the determination of planning applications for conversions of buildings to HMOs, begins on Wednesday 7 August.
HMOs can be the most affordable kind of accommodation, especially for those not eligible for other forms of affordable housing, but an over-proliferation of such properties and/or poor-quality conversions can sometimes cause amenity and other concerns.
Within the former Waveney area, where the Waveney Local Plan applies, applicants are therefore required to demonstrate ‘exceptional circumstances’ for the conversion of buildings to HMOs to be justified. This draft Guidance Note seeks to provide greater clarity and certainty as to how exceptional circumstances could, in principle, be demonstrated, recognising the scale of the housing affordability crisis.
Cllr Kay Yule, East Suffolk Council’s cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management, said:
“Houses in Multiple Occupation can offer a convenient and affordable option for many people, and there is a shortage of such accommodation, but these properties can also create potential concerns about local amenity and pressure on local services.
“That means that criteria against which proposals for a change of use to an HMO are considered require applicants to demonstrate exceptional circumstances.
“I would encourage residents and businesses to engage with this consultation and have their say on the Draft HMO ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ Guidance Note. If adopted, the document will be a material consideration in determining planning applications.”
Comments on the Draft HMO ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ Guidance Note must be submitted by 5pm on Wednesday 18 September 2024.
You can view and comment on this consultation on the Planning Policy Consultations page of the East Suffolk Council website.
Comments can also be emailed to planningpolicy@eastsuffolk.gov.uk or sent to East Suffolk Council, Planning Policy and Delivery Team, Riverside, 4 Canning Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0EQ.
Paper copies of the Draft HMO ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ Guidance Note have been made available for inspection at all libraries in the former Waveney district and the Council’s Customer Service centres at The Marina, Lowestoft, and Woodbridge Library. For information on locations and opening hours please see the Suffolk Libraries website and Customer Services page on the East Suffolk Council website. Please note, the Council’s other Customer Service centres do not have the facilities for the storage of consultation documents. However, physical copies are available at the libraries where these are located.
All comments received will be considered when finalising the HMO ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ Guidance Note.