In 2020, an article 4 direction was put into place by Wigan Council to ensure opportunities to manage the development and quality of HMOs in certain areas of Leigh and Swinley; however, although this article has monitored the area within the direction, the unfortunate consequence has been a spread across the rest of Swinley, especially when it comes to non-Licensable HMOs where developers can take advantage of planning loopholes to create 3-4 room HMOs that are not subject to the same licensing requirements.
Most recently, this has been seen in Lessingham Avenue where building work is currently underway to convert a small 3 bedroomed semi-detached house into a non-Licensable HMO. Described as a ‘desirable location’ because of its proximity to Mesnes Park, lack of controlled parking and strong community spirit, this area of Swinley is now experiencing what many Swinley residents have observed over the last couple of years: a concerning rise of property conversions under the guise of providing ‘affordable’ housing.
Whilst housing prices for small families shoot up, it seems that the spread non-licensable HMOs is out of control with Wigan council stating that there is no register kept of HMOs in Wigan which do not require a licence or are occupied by less than 5 people.
Whilst the article 4 direction was intended to allow for the better management of HMOs and to protect the character and amenity of the area, what is abundantly clear 4 years later is that control has been lost and a review is needed.