Ipswich councillor's motion to extend Article 4 across town

Cllr Richard Pope has asked Ipswich Borough Council to discuss whether Article 4 could be brought in across the whole borough as such developments are "not going away".

Article 4 has been in place since June 1 in certain areas of Ipswich, following a motion passed by Ipswich Borough Council to review HMOs with less than six tenants in October 2023. 

The directive ensures that all developers who wish to turn a house into an HMO in parts of the town will need to seek planning permission, no matter the number of occupants.

The current HMO boundary does not include all of Ipswich. (Image: Google Maps)

The council will meet next Wednesday, where Cllr Pope is set to raise a motion to extend the boundaries of Article 4. 

He says having the directive would mean more discussions could be held around HMO applications.

Cllr Richard Pope has called on extending the Article 4 boundary.  (Image: Archant) Cllr Pope said that there have been several small HMOs popping up just outside the existing boundary of the direction. 

"HMOs are now a normal part of housing and they are not going away," he said.

"So it is not that we want fewer HMOs but I want to see more done to look into these HMOs and how their planning."

Cllr Pope said that HMOs are now a normal part of housing.  (Image: Newsquest) The Conservative Cllr added that this includes looking at the number of parking spaces and how any proposed HMO fits into its neighbourhood. 

He added that even if this motion is approved at the meeting next week, it will have to be done in phases. 

Cllr Carole Jones said that she would like to see all HMOs being sent to the council's planning committee.  (Image: Charlotte Bond) Portfolio holder for planning and development Cllr Carole Jones said that Article 4 is quite restrictive and that instead, she would like to see the government bring in a new set of regulations, where all HMOs irrespective of size have to go through the council. 

She said: "The only way local councils can control the spread of HMOs is by preparing and having approved, by the Secretary of State, an Article 4 Direction."

Article 4 states that any such directive should be ‘based on robust evidence, and apply to the smallest geographical area possible. 

Cllr Jones said that this was restrictive and added: "Rather than embarking on another Article 4 exercise,  I would prefer to see a complete change in the planning rules nationally - so all HMOs have to apply for planning permission, and can be properly assessed in the usual way, including consulting neighbours."