David Bentley, Coventry’s Local Democracy Reporter, reports on a recent decision of Coventry’s Planning Service relating to a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). David writes….
Coventry HMO plan refused because it would lead to ‘excessive number’ in area.
Planners said the proposals to convert a house – which included building two extensions – would have exceeded local HMO limits and had a negative impact on neighbours
Plans for a HMO in a Coventry street have been thrown out by the council because it would lead to an “excessive number” in the area.
An application by Jagmohan Singh Chaggar and agent Jag Guru (PUUC Architecture Ltd) to convert a house into a HMO for five people after building two new extensions on the property has been refused.
The council issued its decision on April 23, saying the proposed change of use would fail to meet the criteria in its HMO development plan.
The plan related to an address at 60, King Edward Road, Hillfields, within the St Michael’s Ward.
Planners said it would increase the concentration of HMOs in the location above the maximum 10 per cent limit within a 100-metre radius of the property.
There is already a HMO a few doors away in the same street and another in neighbouring Coronation Road.
The city council said: “This excessive number of Homes in Multiple Occupation would cumulatively result in detrimental effects on the qualities and characteristics of the residential area and also restrict the choice of housing available to provide for the needs of different groups within the community.”
The council added that the proposed extensions were too big and would “detrimentally impact on the residential amenity of the adjoining neighbour,” causing loss of light and a “sense of enclosure.”
There had also been no information provided to show that the “intensification” of the site and the increased demand for street parking would not cause a road safety risk.
Coventry City Council guidance says owners of rented houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) are required by the Housing Act 2004 to have them licensed by the local authority.
An HMO requires a mandatory licence where it is occupied by five or more people in more than one household.
Since May 2020, HMOs with fewer than five people as well as those with no shared amenities must also be licensed. This rule was extended in October 2024 and came into effect across the city in May 2025, where it will be in force until May 2030.
Concerns have been expressed across the UK about the rapid spread of HMOs leading to noise, parking issues, congestion, road safety risks, litter and fly-tipping.
Transient occupants who are less invested in the area where they are temporarily renting a room can also mean less community cohesion. In some areas, HMOs have become magnets for crime and antisocial behaviour.
In a House of Commons debate in November 2025, MPs recognised that HMOs have a valuable purpose in providing flexible, affordable housing for students, young workers and those getting started in the housing market.
But there are growing fears about “the use of HMOs to accommodate illegal migrants or newly arrived asylum seekers” who are being moved on from hotels, according to Wendy Morton, Conservative MP for Aldridge-Brownhills.
Alex Ballinger (Labour, Halesowen) told the parliamentary debate: “The biggest concerns that I hear regarding HMOs are parking, road safety and antisocial behaviour. Parking is already a challenge in our town; when HMOs are approved without adequate spaces, cars spill on to residential streets, causing frustration, congestion and preventable accidents.
“Road safety is also an important concern. More cars on already narrow roads mean greater risk, especially where speeding is already an issue. Main routes are already gridlocked at peak times, and poorly planned HMOs cause further strain and risk making our roads less safe for local residents.
The Coventry Society has campaigned for the proper control of HMO’s in the city’s older neighbourhoods for many years. Too many HMOs in an urban area can change its character completely – turning a family area into an uncared-for and over-crowed neighbourhood. Last year the council approved an Article 4 direction and a new Development Plan Document that set out details of where further HMOs were acceptable. This decision appears to be the first fruits of the new policy.
This news blog is adapted from the Coventry Live website.