Council to continue HMO engagement with residents' group

Derry City and Strabane District Council’s planning committee has unanimously endorsed an update report on the issue of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

Presented by Council’s head of planning, the report detailed the ongoing engagement and correspondence with residents and community groups in relation to HMOs, particularly in the vicinity of Ulster University’s Magee Campus.

It referenced papers on HMOs presented to the Governance and Strategic Planning committee in March and April highlighting the “ongoing public interest and community concerns” in relation to an increase in the number of HMOs in that area.

The report also noted there had been “significant correspondence” to Council from individuals and groups in relation to this matter over the last few months.

Members of the planning committee were asked to note Council officers had begun to engage with local community representatives to “co-design an engagement strategy to ensure residents and community concerns in relation to HMO’s are considered”.

It added: “And to discuss the facilitation of further engagement between planning officers and local residents on HMO’s.

“Officers will continue to engage and meet with local residents to discuss concerns and monitor the implementation of the draft Local Development Plan policies relating to HMO developments, once implemented, and will bring a further report to Members in due course.”

Opening discussion on the report, Sinn Fein councillor Christopher Jackson acknowledged the efforts residents had gone to “to have their concerns raised”.

“I want to reference the efforts of officers as well for making the time to meet with residents and hear those concerns and, hopefully, advise them on what Council is doing,” he said. “I know as somebody who has been part of this process for a while, I hear the concerns of residents loud and clear.

“I know the concerns of residents have been front and centre to many of the conversations we have had around putting controls in place around HMO development.

“This engagement is going to need to continue as we move on to the next part of our Local Development Plan (LDP) because we do need to have controls.

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“We have huge ambitions for our city and district but it needs to be controlled; there need to be controls in place, it needs to be managed properly.

“Engagement is going to be key, so I welcome the extensive consultation, the extensive engagement with residents and residents’ groups and I trust that engagement is going to continue.”

Agreeing with Cllr Jackson, SDLP councillor John Boyle, the new chairperson of the Planning committee, said he fully expected that the engagement between Council and residents would continue.

Cllr Martin Reilly thanked Council officers for preparing the report, and those in the public gallery in the Guildhall attending the meeting in person for “engaging with elected representatives on this issue over the past number of weeks and months”.

He added: “In relation to HMOs, there are concerns about the proliferation of HMOs not just in and around the university area but across other parts of the Council area as well.

“So I think as we move forward, it is imperative we continue to have communication open and allow people the opportunity to feed into the work we do in this chamber.”