RESIDENTS’ views are being sought on the preservation of local communities in a new consultation by Reading Borough Council.
The council is taking consultation on its proposals to help “preserve the character” of local communities through further restrictions on building within neighbourhoods.
The proposals centre on houses of multiple occupants (HMOs), which are buildings which have been converted into a number of smaller flats.
The council says that HMOs can cause problems for nearby communities by putting strain on parking, bins and bin storage, as well as the loss of privacy and space for amenities.
It is proposing that further restrictions should be put in place regarding the building and conversion of HMOs, which are in high demand due to Reading’s student population and role as a key employment hub in the south-east.
Restrictions are currently in place in some parts of Reading to limit the number of new HMOs, which include the need to apply for planning permission in some wards, and restrictions on proportions of HMOs within the locale of planned projects.
Proposals seek to clarify that the existing 25% threshold which applies to total number of residential buildings as opposed to dwellings within specific areas.
It is also proposing a new approach to the conversion of both flats and HMOs outside of specifically restricted areas, which it posits should not exceed 50%, and restrictions based on the level of affluence in the given area.
It also seeks to avoid the “sandwiching” of residential dwellings between two HMOs.
Micky Leng, Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for planning, said: “The demand for HMO’s in Reading is extremely high, but there is no doubt that a prevalence of HMO’s in parts of Reading can lead to tensions in a local community.
“Those can relate pressure on limited parking for example, or multiple bin collections for an HMO address.
“More fundamentally, it can change the look, feel and character of a local neighbourhood, which existing residents understandably have concerns over.”
He explained that: “While these properties are in private ownership and the Council cannot prevent new applications for new HMO’s, what we can do is strengthen and update planning policies,”
He says that this then becomes a “material consideration” when deciding if an HMO conversion will be approved.
“That is what we are now proposing, by tightening up the existing thresholds in Article 4 areas around the University, and introducing a new threshold for other parts of Reading where restrictions do not already exist, and where applications for house conversions to HMO’s are spreading.
“The existing policies relating to new HMO’s are almost a decade old now and it is important we bring them up to date.”
Council proposals can be viewed in full online via: consult.reading.gov.uk
Members of the public are now being asked to comment on the proposed changes in an 8-week consultation before feedback is considered ahead of possible adoption of the new policy set for March 2023.
Submissions to the consultation process can be made by contacting planningpolicy@reading.gov.uk by 13 February.
