Liverpool Council's cabinet-approved expansion of Article 4 Directions to control Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) will be scrutinised at a crunch hearing next week, after opposition councillors called in the decision.
The cabinet agreed last week to extend the rules to more areas, requiring planning permission before family homes can be converted into HMOs. However, the move was called in by Liberal Democrat members, led by Cllr Carl Cashman, who argued the measure did not go far enough and demanded all areas of the city be included immediately.
Areas covered by the new directions
Areas lined up for protection against immediate conversions include Kirkdale, Everton, County, Walton, Orrell Park and part of Fazakerley. Also included are part of Tuebrook Larkhill, Old Swan, part of Stoneycroft, Penny Lane, part of Calderstones, St Michaels and Sefton Park.
Under national permitted development rights, converting a home to accommodate three to six people can generally proceed without planning permission unless an Article 4 Direction is in force. Larger HMOs accommodating more than six people already require planning permission.
Opposition calls for city-wide approach
The Liberal Democrats said the cabinet's decision did not go far enough and urged the authority to include the whole city immediately. When the decision was agreed, Cllr Hetty Wood, cabinet member for housing, said members would seek to adopt a city-wide approach next year. Cllr Cashman said this was not soon enough and was moving the problem "to new areas of the city".
The new directions would remove the automatic right to convert family homes and require any proposed development to go through the planning process, but they will not ban HMOs outright.
Scrutiny hearing details
An extraordinary session of the culture and economy scrutiny committee will be held next Thursday to determine whether the cabinet will be asked to look again. As lead call-in councillor, Cllr Cashman will be invited to set out the reasons for the call-in and outline an alternative course of action or recommendations. The committee can ask clarifying questions, and a cabinet member will respond to the points raised.
Members can either ratify the original cabinet decision or send it back for executive members to reconsider. The call-in will be considered at Liverpool Town Hall on Thursday, October 29. There are currently between 7,136 and 10,862 HMOs recorded in Liverpool, accounting for up to 4.6% of the city's housing stock.
