Major changes to rules around shared houses in Sefton could soon come into effect.
Sefton Council is planning to tighten up the way they treat shared houses when people submit planning applications under the new draft rules.
Local residents are set to be consulted on the changes, which include altering the way houses of multiple occupation (HMO) are counted. Under current rules, the number of units are what is used to determine the size of the HMO.
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The council plans would see the number of occupants expected to fit into a building as the figure used to determine HMO size. Counting in this way will have an impact on how much outside space is required for each conversion, according to a council report submitted last month.
The report, which seeks approval for a public consultation to be carried out, says the changes are in order to update the council’s current “dated” policy and bring it more in line with existing legislation.
As well as changes to the way HMOs are counted and an increase to the amount of outdoor space required per property, the report says the council also wants to address the problem of over-saturation of HMOs in an area by expanding the ‘buffer’ that must be taken into account around a planned HMO from 50m to 100m.
According to the report, whereas in the past only HMOs were considered within the buffer zone, the proposed changes would mean flats could also be included in the count because: “they both have a significant impact on a local area if too many buildings (usually houses) are converted.”
Rules preventing downstairs living rooms that are too close to busy roads from being converted into bedrooms also form part of the planned rule changes. The aim is to hold a six week consultation before councillors meet to decide whether to accept the changes as part of an updated supplementary development plan (SDP).
If adopted, the rules would then be given weight when planning decisions are made and could impact on the number of HMOs allowed across Sefton.
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