Residents in Warrington have until 5pm on Friday 24 April 2026 to share their views on new draft planning guidance designed to manage the number of shared houses in the area. The consultation by Warrington Borough Council aims to gather feedback on rules that would give the local authority greater control over how family homes are converted into Houses in Multiple Occupation, or HMOs.
The council is proposing these new standards, known as a Supplementary Planning Document, in response to resident concerns regarding parking, noise, and changes to the character of their neighbourhoods. Under the proposed rules, planning permission for new shared houses would generally be refused if more than 10 percent of properties within a 50-metre radius are already used as HMOs. The draft guidance also includes measures to prevent the clustering of these properties, such as prohibiting the creation of three or more adjacent shared houses.
Councillor John Kerr-Brown, Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Licensing, stated that the council is listening to local feedback. He noted that in certain streets, the concentration of shared housing is creating significant pressures on residents. Currently, there are 226 licensed shared houses in Warrington, with about 80 percent of them located across six central wards: Orford, Poplars and Hulme, Fairfield and Howley, Latchford East, Latchford West, and Bewsey and Whitecross.
In addition to these new guidelines, an Article 4 Direction is set to take effect on 25 September 2026. This will remove the automatic right for property owners in those six central wards to convert family homes into small-scale shared houses without first obtaining planning permission. On 20 April 2026, the council announced its intention to expand these planning controls to cover the entire borough, ensuring consistent protections for all communities.
While the council maintains that these measures are necessary to support balanced communities, some experts have suggested that restricting the supply of shared housing could increase rental costs. They note that this type of accommodation remains an important source of housing for students, key workers, and those on benefits.
Residents can submit their comments on the draft guidance through the council’s website or by contacting the planning department.
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