Policy information sourced from Camden Local Plan

H10 Housing with Shared Facilities (‘Houses in Multiple Occupation’)

The Council will aim to ensure that there is continued provision of housing with shared facilities to meet the needs of small households with limited incomes and modest space requirements.

We will support development of housing with shared facilities (houses in multiple occupation) provided that the development:

  1. will not involve the loss of two or more self-contained homes;
  2. will not involve a site identified for self-contained housing through a current planning permission or a development plan document, unless it is shown that the site is no longer developable for self-contained housing;
  3. complies with any relevant standards for houses in multiple occupation;
  4. contributes to creating a mixed, inclusive and sustainable community;
  5. does not create a harmful concentration of such a use in the local area or cause harm to nearby residential amenity; and
  6. is secured as a long-term addition to the supply of low cost housing, or otherwise provides an appropriate amount of affordable housing, having regard to Policy H4 Maximising the supply of affordable housing.

We will resist development that involves the net loss of housing with shared facilities (houses in multiple occupation) or the self-containment of any part of such a housing unless either:

  • it can be demonstrated that the accommodation is incapable of meeting the relevant standards for houses in multiple occupation, or otherwise genuinely incapable of use as housing with shared facilities; or
  • adequate replacement housing with shared facilities will be provided that satisfies criteria (1) to (6) above; or
  • the development provides self-contained social-affordable rented homes.

Where the Council is satisfied that a development involving the net loss of homes with shared facilities is justified, we will expect it to create an equivalent amount of floorspace for permanent self-contained housing (in Use Class C3), secured as a long-term addition to the supply of low cost housing, or otherwise providing an appropriate amount of affordable housing, having regard to Policy H4.

For more information please see the Local Plan