• Nottingham City Council is making changes to planning rules relating to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). From 11th March 2012, it will become necessary to obtain planning permission to convert a family dwelling (Use Class C3) to a HMO with between 3 and 6 unrelated people sharing (Use Class C4) throughout the whole of the Nottingham City Council area.
• Planning permission is already required for properties shared by 7 or more unrelated people. 
• Current planning policies will be used to assess planning applications relating to HMOs of any type.
• These policies comprise 'saved' policies within the Nottingham Local Plan 2005 and the accompanying Building Balanced Communities Supplementary Planning Document adopted in 2007.

A guidance note about the application of planning rules for HMOs within Nottingham is available to download from the link on the right of this page.

Houses in Multiple Occupation - Article 4 Direction

• The basis for councils to make local decisions to change planning rules within a defined area is provided by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 as amended, (GPDO).
• The GPDO enables councils to issue a direction under article 4 of that Order, commonly referred to as an "article 4 direction", setting out development type(s) that will no longer be permitted unless express planning permission is first obtained.
• Article 4 directions are introduced where evidence suggests that undertaking certain types of development for which express planning permission is not normally required would harm local amenity or the proper planning of an area, for example, by having an undermining effect on visual amenity and / or local objectives to create or maintain mixed communities.
• An article 4 direction does not prevent the development to which it applies, but instead requires that planning permission is first obtained from the City Council for that development.
• Under the current fee regulations, no fee will be payable for planning applications required because of the article 4 direction.

Article 4 Direction (Ref: ART 4/HMO/CW/01)

On 9^th March 2011, Nottingham City Council made an article 4 direction under article 4(1) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 as amended.

• The direction relates to development consisting of a change of the use of a building to a use falling within Class C4 (houses in multiple occupation) of the Schedule to the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 from a use falling within Class C3 (dwelling houses) of that Schedule, and removes permitted development rights for this type of development from the date when the direction comes into force.
• The article 4 direction applies to the whole of the Nottingham City Council area. To view the direction, including a map (Article 4 Direction Plan) defining the area covered by the direction,  please follow the links to the right of this page.
• A copy of the Statutory Notice and the Consultation Report can be found to the right of this page.
• Following consideration of the representations received during the consultation period, the City Council confirmed the article 4 direction on 8^th December 2011. A copy of the Statutory Notice of Confirmation can be found to the right of this page.