A ROW has broken out about fresh powers to control the spread of hundreds of homes mainly used as student bedsits.
The Government announcement on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) has been welcomed by city MP Christine Russell who says it will have major implications for areas of Chester including the Garden Quarter and Handbridge.
Leading planners have also greeted an announcement by Housing and Planning Minister John Healey aimed at controlling the spread of high concentrations of shared rented homes and tackling pockets of unsafe and substandard accommodation run by bad landlords.
But landlords’ representatives have condemned the statement which, they say, will result in a reduced supply of shared housing and accused the Government of “bowing to a small minority who shout loudest”.
Mrs Russell said she had been campaigning for some time for the changes announced by Mr Healey. Such restrictions were in place for many years before being axed by Michael Heseltine in his time as Secretary of State in the Thatcher years.
She says it will give Chester West and Chester Council (CWaC) stronger powers to control the types of housing available in areas where students congregate, particularly in Garden Lane and Cheyney Road areas around the University of Chester, and potentially in Handbridge and Queen’s Park now the university is expanding into County Hall.
Mr Healey confirmed powers, to come into force by April, for councils to manage the unplanned spread of HMOs in towns and cities. He says the cluster of too many shared houses can sometimes cause problems, especially if too many properties in one area are let to short term residents with little stake in the community.
Tenants can also suffer from poor conditions and management of the properties by landlords.
A Government consultation on how to tackle this long-standing issue attracted about 900 responses from local authorities, residents’ associations, universities, individuals, MPs, councillors and campaign groups.
Cllr Lynn Riley, CWaC executive member for area and community, said: “Anything that allows us to deliver what local communities want us to do has to be welcomed.”
Up to now, said Cllr Riley, there was relatively little scope for local authorities to influence the spread of HMOs, although the council was engaged in plenty of Street Scene work with the university and residents’ groups.