House owned by Sheffield councillor can become HMO
A home in Greystones, Sheffield owned by a councillor has been given permission to become a house in multiple occupation for three people.
Sheffield City Council’s planning and highways committee yesterday (June 23) gave retrospective planning permission for the mid-terraced house on Murray Road.
Meeting chair Coun Maroof Raouf declared an interest because the house belongs to a fellow Green Party member but said he felt he could keep an open mind on the issue.
Committee co-chair Coun Mike Chaplin said that the applicant, Coun Peter Gilbert, is known to most colleagues.
Planning officer Chris Heeley said there were no objections from neighbours.
“The key issue, planning-wise, is the concentration or otherwise of shared housing within an area.” He said that policies are in place to avoid noise, disturbance and nuisance for neighbours.
Space
Mr Heeley said the threshold was for 20% of housing in multiple occupation (HMOs) within 200 metres of the property. The current figure stands at 15%.
He said that the house has adequate space and facilities for three people. The amount of car parking potentially needed is also within acceptable limits, equal to a family with two teenagers.
The applicant has agreed to provide cycle storage for three bikes.
Coun John Hesketh said: “The problem we have in this and other parts of the city is that we do not have homes with a formal designation of HMO but in reality are being used as HMOS.
“I’m not entirely convinced this figure accurately reflects what’s taking place on the ground.”
Coun Richard Williams asked if that meant nobody in the property could have a partner and live together.
Scale
Mr Heeley said the designation allowed for three to six people. The scale of the house is self-limiting, to some extent, which is why the council has made no extra conditions on that point.
Coun Williams also asked whether this application was potentially “opening up a can of worms” on parking, although he accepted there is no way to provide extra spaces off road.
Mr Heeley said it fell within an acceptable range and did not merit refusal.
Coun Hesketh said he would support the officer recommendation for approval but “with a bit of a heavy heart”.
“I’m not entirely convinced that the actual figure of HMOs in this immediate area is 15% because there are more properties living as three separate households than have been declared.”
Coun Hesketh said that causes problems, including over-concentration of car parking. He said it needs a specific policy laid down rather than “hoping for the best”.
Principles
Coun Mike Chaplin said that it was a straightforward application that wouldn’t even be heard at committee if a member of the public had made it.
“I will say this, though – as councillors we are held to a higher standard. We have to abide by the Nolan Principles [of ethical standards in public life].
“To find that the applicant here is submitting a retrospective application reflects poorly on that person.
“That application should have gone in once he had decided that he wanted this house to become an HMO.”
Coun Williams said it is always disappointing when the correct procedure isn’t followed, regardless of who the applicant is, but that is no reason not to approve it.
Coun Maroof welcomed the condition requiring cycle storage.
On retrospective approval, he said it was wrong that people are “asking for forgiveness, rather than permission”. He suggested fees for retrospective applications should be quadrupled.