Northampton: Long-awaited HMO review gets under way
- Published
Northampton residents have said parking is "crazy" in areas with many HMOs
The large number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in a town has prompted a long-awaited council review.
There are currently about 1,300 hundred registered HMOs in Northampton, which campaigners claim have a detrimental effect on the local community.
The review was originally announced last year and should have been completed in April.
West Northamptonshire Council said it had wanted to start "as quickly as possible" but needed to be thorough.
HMOs are occupied by people who do not form a single household, including bedsits, hostels, some hotels and guesthouses, shared houses and houses converted into self-contained flats.
Campaigners say piles of rubbish in areas of high HMO concentration are a fire hazard
A review into the way the council deals with HMOs was promised in response to concerns about the concentration of them in Northampton town centre.
Issues include general poor maintenance, rubbish being a fire hazard - and streets crammed with parked cars.
Lynnette Marsden, member of a residents' group set up to share information and object when an unsuitable application is made, said she wants a change in policy.
"I want the council to look at the concentration of HMOs in the area," she said.
"[Postcode] NN1 has the highest concentration of HMOs in the whole of Northampton, and considering it's the smallest postcode we really need to start addressing this because it doesn't feel like a safe family area anymore."
Cllr Adam Brown, deputy leader of West Northamptonshire Council, said: "We wanted to get [the review] started as quickly as possible, but we're also aware of the fact that it needs to be done as thoroughly and as well as it can possibly be done in order to deliver the results that will have the faith of the public.
"There's no point rushing though an inadequate process and leaving people unsatisfied with the results at the end of it all."
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