Durham County Council have proposed an Article 4 Direction, a planning tool to help control the amount and location of properties which are being converted into Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
Under current legislation, houses can be converted into small HMOs for between 3 and 6 residents without the need for planning permission. If the proposal were implemented, it would mean that all new HMOs would require planning approval, not just larger developments as is currently the case. There are already some Article 4s in place where there are high concentrations of student HMOs around Durham City and its suburbs.
The document linked below has more details regarding this consultation, including the end date for the consultation period of Friday 26th September 2025.
Article 4 site notice August 2025
Published: 16/08/2025 Published by: Healeyfield Parish Council
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