Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings in planning class C3 have been converted to houses of multiple occupancy class C4 without a planning application since the change to regulations on 1 October 2010.
The Government has no plans to remove the permitted development rights that allow for change of use between class C(3) dwelling houses and a class C(4) houses in multiple occupation. We do not hold data on the number of dwelling houses that have converted to houses in multiple occupation since 1 October 2010. Paragraph 53 of the National Planning Policy Framework confirms that the use of Article 4 directions to remove national permitted development rights should be limited to situations where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the well-being of the area.