Wokingham Borough currently has no Article 4 Direction preventing ordinary houses from being converted into small Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) for 3–6 unrelated occupants without a planning application.

We are asking Wokingham Borough Council to introduce a borough-wide Article 4 Direction so that all new HMO conversions are subject to planning scrutiny.

This would not ban HMOs. It would simply ensure that before a house becomes an HMO, the Council and local residents have an opportunity to consider its impact on the neighbourhood — including parking, waste, noise, residential amenity and the cumulative concentration of HMOs in particular streets.

Wokingham's own Local Plan recognises that excessive concentrations of HMOs can have an unacceptable effect on the established housing mix of communities.

We believe residents should have a voice before these changes happen, not after.  Do you agree?