Crackdown on ‘explosion’ of HMOs in Oldham

Councillors in Oldham have called for a change in rules to stop landlords turning homes into HMOs without planning permission.

Shaw and Crompton and Failsworth independents are demanding more powers to crack down on an ‘explosion of HMOs’ in their local areas. 
Currently, any HMOs with fewer than six bedrooms don’t require planning permission. 

But some councillors want landlords to apply for planning permission to turn properties into HMOs of any size, giving town planners the ability to turn down the proposals under certain circumstances. 

The proposal was put forward by Shaw & Crompton independent councillor Marc Hince and Failsworth indie coun Neil Hindle, and has the official backing of the Oldham Labour group, meaning the motion is likely to pass at the full council meeting on Wednesday, July 16. 

On behalf of the Shaw and Crompton Independents, coun Hince said: “The explosion of HMOs is a massive concern for residents and has been a key issue for the Shaw & Crompton Independents from day one. Although our motion to implement Article 4 was blocked by the administration last year. 

“However, after making our and our residents’ views clear on the subject, we are now able to take this forward. This means Shaw & Crompton will no longer be an easy target for such developments.” 

The motion promises to ‘close the loophole’ in the current planning process, with HMOs described as a ‘symptom of the housing crisis, in some cases, exploiting some of the most vulnerable people within our community through substandard and unsafe accommodation’.

HMOs have become a hot topic in the borough, especially in Shaw. An anti-HMO protest recently took place outside the former Shaw & Crompton health centre, which developers had planned to turn into a 22-bed housing complex. 

Residents claimed the town is being ‘flooded’ with HMOs, while community assets like banks and swimming pools have closed down. But under the current rules, it’s difficult to establish how many HMOs currently exist in specific areas. 

The total number is unknown, though there are around 307 officially registered across the borough, only 59 of which required planning permission.
Article 4 Directions are already in force in several other Greater Manchester boroughs including some areas of Manchester, Salford, Bolton and Trafford.