On Friday morning, 11^th June, a proposed HMO at 9 Cedar Drive was granted planning permission by the County Council’s Central and East Planning Committee meeting held at County Hall.

The planning officer, who had already recommended permission for a similar development at 11 Cedar Drive a year ago, followed an identical line this time round: because there is no Article 4 Direction protecting Cedar Drive from the development of C4 (ie HMO) accommodation then this application was for an acceptable C3 development, albeit with a C4 intention.   This, he argued, could not be resisted until an Article 4 Direction is introduced, which, the County Council promise, is in early 2022.

I spoke on behalf of the City of Durham Parish Council and the residents who objected to this application.  We did not agree with the officer’s analysis nor with his recommendation. The absence of an Article 4 Direction should never be the only planning reason to prevent an application such as this one from being approved and the arguments that I put to committee are below.  These arguments made full and appropriate use of the NPPF, the recently adopted County Durham Plan and the very recently adopted Neighbourhood Plan.  All 3 carry full weight.

This committee meeting was very thinly attended, barely quorate: out of 15 members 7 were absent.  For a new Council this is a miserable showing when matters of such importance to local residents are being considered.

When asked to balance the arguments put to them by the officer set against those from the residents and the Parish Council the response of the committee members was desultory and detached.  Two councillors agreed that the unrelenting introduction of HMOs to Durham City was causing a significant problem but a third councillor simply said “I move the officer’s recommendation” and a fourth quickly added “I second that proposal”.  That was the sum total of the discussion by committee on something that mattered greatly to the residents in Farewell Hall, and the application was passed by 6 votes to 2.