Residents in Netherfield have launched a petition calling for tighter controls on houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
The petition calls for Gedling Borough Council to introduce tighter planning measures so that residents have more of a say when plans for a new HMO is proposed for their area,
HMOs are used by residents, often students or young professionals, who rent their bedrooms and share living facilities.
Current rules mean that planning permission for an HMO is only needed when it will house more than seven or more bedrooms.
But neighbours often warn that concentrating them together can be harmful to local communities, through noise and pressures on waste and parking.
Specific measures – called an Article Four direction – can be implemented to require the landlord to seek permission for smaller HMOs.
Netherfield is one of the worst areas in the borough to be targeted by HOM developers, with five being approved just last night (3) by the council’s planning committee.
This latest petition has been started by Netherfield resident Lucy Alderson.
The statement posted on change.org states: “Developers in Gedling have been purchasing small family homes and converting them into Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) without any regard to the existing community.
“This trend is causing inevitable distress among residents.
“The small streets of Gedling are becoming increasingly congested, with limited parking spaces, heightened waste generation, and noise disturbances. All these factors are collectively detracting from the area’s quality of life and adversely impacting the value of neighbouring properties.
One of the fundamental issues with these developments is that they do not require planning permission under the current regulations. This oversight allows developers to proceed with conversions without consulting the community or considering the existing infrastructure’s capacity to accommodate such changes. This lack of regulation is unfair to those of us who strive to maintain Gedling as a peaceful, family-friendly environment.
Introducing Article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 is the necessary step in addressing this issue. By requiring that all HMO conversions seek planning permission, Gedling Borough Council will ensure that the community’s voice is heard and that any future developments are in harmony with the local environment.”
So far the petition has attracted almost 160 signatures.
Carlton East councillor Mike Adams (Conservative) took to social media last night to slam the number of HMO approvals and vowed to ‘campaign hard on this issue’.
He wrote: “Tonight at Gedling Borough Council, councillors voted to approve five separate HMO applications in Netherfield, each adding an extra bedroom — taking them all up to seven‑bedroom HMOs. Every Conservative councillor voted against each one.
“All of this happened despite the clear lack of parking space in the area.
“Here’s the unbelievable part, Gedling Borough Council still has no policy at all on HMO parking
“It was argued these applications should be refused because the parking simply isn’t there. Residents know this. Businesses know this. It’s getting worse. The council’s justification? They claimed parking pressures would be “mitigated” by nearby bus services and the public car park. But that just shifts the problem onto local businesses and shoppers who rely on those spaces every day.
“And to top it off — the landlord cannot restrict the new bedrooms to non‑drivers only. So the parking impact is obvious, predictable and completely ignored.”
We have contacted Gedling Borough Council for comment.
The petition can be signed here: https://www.change.org/p/require-gedling-borough-council-to-apply-article-4?recruiter=39769061&recruited_by_id=c067deb0-4c91-0130-e5f0-38ac6f16cbb1&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=starter_onboarding_share_social&utm_medium=copylink&share_id=TsQjGcjJY5
