Councillor says: ' Across the city, HMOs have become a big issue'
Belfast Council has turned down an application to transform a house in East Belfast to a HMO building, despite recommendations to approve from its own officials.
Applications for new HMO licences have increased in other parts of the city in recent years, notably in North Belfast, and have been consistently rejected by councillors in this part of the city. Licences are issued for five year periods, and are awarded by the Belfast City Council Licensing Committee.
Planning officers at Belfast Council recommended the Paxton Street application for approval. The council planning report on the application states: “The scheme is compliant with policy in that the 10 percent threshold for HMOs on Paxton Street has not yet been reached. It adds: “According to the LPS Pointer Address database there are 33 domestic properties on Paxton Street. This would allow for three HMO properties on Paxton Street before the 10 percent threshold would be exceeded.
Despite this, DUP Councillor Bradley Ferguson proposed refusal for the application at the Planning Committee meeting. He said: “We had a site visit last week there with a couple of members.
DUP Castlereagh East Belfast Newtownabbey North Belfast South Belfast Stranmillis
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