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Planning and HMO's

Small HMO (use class C4)

A small HMO is a property occupied by between three and six unrelated individuals, as their only or main residence, who share basic amenities such as a kitchen or bathroom. Change of use to a small HMO does not currently require planning permission but will require licensing.

A non-immediate Article 4 Direction that will come into force on 3 March 2027. The purpose of this Article 4 (1) Direction is to remove permitted development rights for the change of use from dwelling houses (Use Class C3) to small HMOs (Use Class C4) within the designated area. This will enable Gloucester City Council to manage and control the concentration and impact of HMOs through the planning process by restoring the requirement for planning permission under Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for such a change of use. The Direction applies to land within the administrative area of Gloucester City Council, namely the wards:

  • Kingsholm and Wotton
  • Elmbridge
  • Westgate
  • Barton and Tredworth
  • Moreland
  • Kingsway

A copy of the Confirmed direction decision is available online or by appointment during normal office hours.

Large HMO (use class Sui-Generis)

A large HMO is a property occupied by seven or more people who form more than one household. These require planning permission and licensing.

The Gloucester City Plan (2011-2031) (GCP) sets out when planning permission will be granted. All policies in the GCP require consideration but there is a specific policy for HMOs:

Policy A2: HMO
Planning permission for the creation of a HMO will be permitted where:

  1. the development would not result in any existing residential property (C3 use) being ‘sandwiched’ between two HMOs; and
  2. the development would not result in the creation of more than two adjacent properties in HMO use; and
  3. HMOs, including the proposed development, would represent no more than 10% of properties within a 100-metre radius of the application property

For further details of how to use this policy, and to see other policy considerations, please refer to  the Adopted Development Plan . For Planning HMO data please search Public Access.

Large HMO properties map

The following map displays large HMO properties with a licence for seven or more occupiers. Here you can draw a 100 metre radius and get a list of all of the properties in the radius.

Please note the following when using the map:

  • the map generates a list of all properties and uses with a residential element
  • dwellings that are either within purpose-built blocks of flats, or within houses that have been sub-divided into separate flats, are all counted as one single property, and only the first address point is counted
  • where a property is in mixed use, the first residential address point is counted
  • when calculating the percentage of HMO properties within the radius the application site is also included as a HMO. Where the percentage is not a whole number shall be rounded down

Instructions

  1. tick the white square next to the HMO layer - purple dots will display showing the HMO for seven or more occupiers
  2. navigate to your property
  3. zoom for the purple dots to change to green dots 
  4. map tools and area search
  5. change the distance to 100
  6. click on the map to drop the pin and confirm area - a red circle will display the radius
  7. apply Search
  8. from the drop down choose, LLPG Address Points and HMO greater than seven (editing)
  9. click export results to Excel and untick filter linked layers
  10. apply area search - this will download your required output

This data is from September 2024 relating to HMO licensing. 

View the map

Last reviewed:
Previous HMO licensing application and fees