Fiona and Neil were delighted to see the council's cabinet taking a positive direction on the issue of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs). This has been a longstanding issue for residents in the Hull Road Ward and is something we've worked on a lot since being elected back in May.
We both went to the meeting and spoke on behalf of residents. We were also pleased to see representatives from the Badger Hill residents group speaking up for themselves.
The Hull Road area of York has seen an uncontrolled growth in HMOs – caused by a lack of accommodation to meet the demands of a growth in student numbers.
This is an ongoing concern for many of the residents in Hull Road – from increased levels of crime and anti-social behaviour, both by and against students, and from the gradual loss of a community for all ages.
The nature of communities always evolve over time, but areas such as Tang Hall and Badger Hill are seeing change at an unnatural speed that causes huge upset to long-term residents.
We want to work towards a mixed community where students and long-term residents can live side by side in a safe and welcoming environment, so we welcome the cabinet decision to implement an Article 4 Direction, thus introducing extra planning controls for HMOs.
We also welcome co-operative working with representatives from all parts of the community including students and landlords. This joined up thinking will ensure that the growth of HMOs is controlled far more efficiently than at present – whilst also ensuring a greater standard of living for anyone who chooses to live in shared rental housing.
This is only one step in a process towards the community we all want, the hard work will continue and this is by no means the be all and end all of the situation.
