Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council:-

(1)   note the content of the petition and the concerns raised regarding the potential impacts of Houses in Multiple Occupation on the local community; and

(2)   recognise the continued commitment to preparing the Local Plan to the agreed timescales whilst identifying additional resources to support a review of the Article 4 Direction.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report and amended at the meeting.

The Executive received the report on the Exeter Article 4 Direction for Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMO), following the receipt of a petition at the meeting of the Council on 21 July 2021. The petition requested an extension of the Article 4 restrictions for HMO’s to the remainder of the Sylvan Road, Sylvan Avenue and Moorview Close areas. In line with the Council’s petition scheme, a report had been brought to the Executive for further consideration.

The Portfolio Holder for City Development moved an amendment to the recommendations as follows:-

2.2 to recognise the continued commitment to preparing the Local Plan to the agreed timescales whilst in parallel identifying additional resources to support a review of the Article 4 Direction.

It was explained that the reason for the proposed amendment followed meetings held with residents and Members to understand their concerns.

The Leader invited the petition organiser, Mr John Danvers to speak on this matter. Mr Danvers thanked the Executive for the opportunity to speak and to the Leader for the proposed amendments to the recommendations. He explained that he was representing 150 residents of Sylvan Road, the surrounding streets in the Pennsylvania Ward and of the signatories of the petition. In June 2021, a letter was submitted to the Planning Department requesting changes to the current Article 4 Direction. A petition was submitted on 8 July 2021, followed by a revised letter to support the petition. Following productive discussions with Councillors, the Leader and Deputy Leader, residents had been contacted by a growing number of concerned residents and had gathered additional evidence to support the original request to review the Article 4 Direction on the conversion of family homes into HMO’s and student accommodation.

It was explained that residents would be submitting another letter containing the updated evidence, highlighting the concerns of residents on how communities in north Pennsylvania were being affected by the frequent conversions, some of which did not appear on the Council register. Mr Danvers highlighted that in 2016 there was just one HMO in north Pennsylvania and now there were more than 14. Local residents had reported incidents of landlords and tenants, who had made life miserable for their neighbours. The community value for the area was being affected by excessive noise, litter, antisocial behaviour with an increase to the number of cars, impacting the wider community.

The increase in the number of HMO’s had reduced the available number of houses available for younger families. Mr Danvers concluded by highlighting that residents did not have any issues with students and acknowledged that most were well behaved, however there was a small minority that had adversely impacted the community area. Many residents felt that there was an indifference from the Council and University and requested that their concerns be taken seriously with consultation and engagement to resolve the concerns. It was requested that the Council immediately engage in a full consultation process on the conversion of future homes into HMO’s in Pennsylvania and to review all  ...  view the full minutes text for item 117