Stark HMO housing warning given as deadline for Portsmouth city plan looms large

The council asked residents for their views back in July on the local plan which, if approved by central government, would guide development proposals and the vision for the city up to 2040.

HMOs have been a contentious topic among councillors and residents. Opponents argue that converting too much of the city’s housing stock into HMOs creates issues for residents and infrastructure, while proponents claim they offer an affordable housing option amid the current housing crisis.

Councillor Russell Simpson of the Portsmouth Independent Party has frequently voiced his objection to the influx of HMO applications.

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On the consultation, which ends at 11.59pm on September 3, he said a “substantial” number of people are commenting specifically on HMOs – “definitely in the hundreds, if not over a thousand,” he added.

Currently, in Portsmouth, no more than 10 per cent of homes in a 50m radius can be HMOs. Cllr Simpson has argued to reduce the current threshold policy from 10 per cent to 5 per cent.

Councillor Charlotte Gerada, leader of the Labour group, argued that the current 10 per cent threshold is the best possible policy given existing planning frameworks and legislation and that all councillors have been briefed on this by the council’s head of planning.

However, she agrees that the current situation with HMOs is an issue, leading to noise disturbances, more rubbish on streets, pressure on local amenities, and increasing demand for parking spaces.

“Down some streets, the aim of having mixed balanced communities just doesn’t exist, especially when it comes to converting two up two down houses which should be for families – you’re talking about huge numbers of people living in one property,” she said.

“There is a need to try and manage and control them, otherwise we’re going to see neighbourhoods ruined basically.”

Conservative councillor Benedict Swann said he doesn’t think the council is doing “anywhere near enough to act on residents’ concerns on HMOs”.

“I think they’re giving stock answers to make things easier for themselves because obviously, HMOs do factor into housing targets,” he said.

Cllr Swann expressed scepticism towards briefings made by chief council officers which claim that reducing the HMO threshold is infeasible due to the city’s unique island geography.

He said: “Let’s get people down from the planning inspectorate, from central government, and let’s have a clear and open discussion about the issues that we face in Portsmouth which no other city in the country is facing.”

He encouraged residents to comment on the consultation, stating that if they’re not involved in the process, “there’s no point in having a council”.

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Councillor Hugh Mason, the Liberal Democrat cabinet member for planning policy, acknowledges the backlash against HMOs but argues they are a “necessity in the intermediate term”.

“The situation is that, quite frankly, there is not enough housing in Portsmouth and there is not enough land to build housing quickly,” he added.

“Therefore, there is a population pressure on what we’ve got and if people can’t afford or find a flat at the price they can afford, they will go for an HMO.”

He said that building high-density homes, like the recently approved council-owned scheme Somers Orchard, is the key to easing the demand for housing in five or six years.

He said that the only alternative to building higher and denser schemes is to “build on England’s green and pleasant land”.