Next Wednesday the Council’s Cabinet will decide on two new policies which will affect the future character of Oldfield Park.
Over the past decade, local residents have been concerned about the significant increase in investors buying family homes and turning them in to Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
This has meant that many local people have been excluded from finding a home in the area – either to buy or to rent. The Cabinet will decide whether to introduce a Planning Policy (Article 4 direction) to limit the number of HMOs in any given area to 25% of the houses. In practical terms this will mean that no further properties can be converted to HMOs in most of Oldfield Park, however all those currently in use as a HMO can remain as such.
There are good investors and there are bad investors. Generally, bad investors do not care for the people and community from which they profit. The second new policy is to tackle the bad investor, so a new licensing scheme for HMOs is proposed which will improve the safety and accommodation standards for people living in HMOs.
The policy will also set minimum standards for the external upkeep and management of the properties – particularly for garden conditions and waste management.
The papers for the Council’s Cabinet meeting can be found here (Items 12 & 13): http://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=122&MId=3648&Ver=4
Will Sandry