Development of new Houses of Multiple Occupancy to be restricted under the Local Plan for Bath.
Development of new Houses of Multiple Occupancy to be restricted under the Local Plan for Bath.
Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) are family homes that have been converted for unrelated adults to live together, typically occupied by students, young professionals, single individuals, and low-income workers. The policy proposes the ban of three-bedroom houses from being converted into HMOs, according to the BBC. Many students from the University of Bath live in HMOs across the city; hence, this restriction could greatly affect housing availability and costs for students.
Preparation for the new Local Plan for the Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) area commenced in 2022 and was based on the plan to create 700 new homes per year. The central government imposed new mandatory housing targets for all councils in 2024, which increased the B&NES housing target to 1,500 homes per year. As a result of the new targets, the council has decided to reset the Local Plans created in 2022 to further investigate plans for developments and assess further options.
https://bathnesplaces.co.uk/localplan/
The council is asking for the public’s opinion via the link above on the Local Plan as part of a 2-year process for its implementation. The website states that the aim is for the new plan to take effect in Autumn 2027. Residents can now voice their opinion until 14 November on a complicated website, with multiple tabs of information and no clear structure of how to navigate this chaos. After two hours of clicking through pages, 10 open tabs and an endless rabbit hole, we were unable to locate any mention of the new HMO restriction policy. How are we supposed to voice our opinion on a policy that can’t be accessed?
According to a census conducted in 2021, Houses of Multiple Occupancy represented 2.63% of the total households in the B&NES area, yet it is a housing type that has received a lot of attention and criticism. Bath Voice reports that during a debate over HMOs at a full council meeting on September 24, Jess David (Moorlands, Liberal Democrat) said: “… with every small family house that becomes an HMO, we reduce the supply of suitable homes for other families to rent or buy.”
Representatives from the council were on campus, camped outside the Management building on 27 November from 11 am – 1 pm, urging students to review the Local Plan. After enquiring about the plan to restrict HMO development, the reasoning was that the council doesn’t want HMOs to be concentrated in one area, but rather be spread out across the city. This was previously implemented through the adoption of a new policy in 2022, which led to the displacement of HMOs from the areas of main concentration to places where housing is more affordable. The council then argued that this has now restricted the availability of affordable housing for families in Bath. It seems like wherever HMOs go, the council will never be satisfied…
Bath Time have requested an interview to speak directly to the people involved with this development plan for further comment.