BBC
Patrick Gill said the HMOs should be spread out
Residents living near Ulster University’s Magee campus have called on the council to cap the number of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) approved in the area.
This comes after a report exploring the expansion of student numbers at the Londonderry campus was published last year.
The group, Concerned Residents Around Magee (CRAM), said most approved HMOs were concentrated near the campus and were disproportionate with the rest of the city.
A Derry City and Strabane District council spokesperson said new planning policies will put safeguards in place to ensure proposals for HMOs are suitable and appropriate.
The report said the increase to 10,000 students by 2032 would help address regional imbalance and be “transformative” for the region.
However, it noted the quantity of privately rented accommodation and purpose-built student accommodation must be increased.
What are HMOs?
A house in multiple occupation is a property rented out by at least three people who share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen, also referred to as a “house share”.
The tenants must be from more than one household for it be an HMO.
All HMOs must be licensed by their local council unless a temporary exemption notice is in effect.
Belfast City Council’s NIHMO unit administers the regulation of HMOs on behalf of each of Northern Ireland’s 11 councils.
Kathleen Feeney said she has noticed a change in the area
Kathleen Feeney who lives in a terraced street, a five-minute walk from the campus, said she feels as if “the street as [she has] known for forty years is disappearing”.
“There are less families here now. More HMOs have sprung up and I feel that the atmosphere has changed,” she said.
“We don’t always know our neighbours; it can be noisy at night and the worst thing is the traffic and congestion.”
“If the houses next door to me became HMOs, I would consider leaving the area, even though it would break my heart,” she sa
Read More