Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures are in place to apply restrictions to houses in multiple occupation that are located in areas associated with the night-time economy.

Where Houses in Multiple Occupation are having a detrimental effect on a locality’s night time economy, local authorities have a range of powers to manage their proliferation and poor management. Whilst all large Houses in Multiple Occupation are subject to mandatory licensing, local authorities have a discretionary power to license small Houses in Multiple Occupation in a designated area. Local authorities also have planning powers to limit the proliferation of Houses in Multiple Occupation within their locality. Where there is sufficient evidence of the need to do so, a local planning authority may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an article 4 direction, after consultation with the local community.