Strict controls on Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) can play a key role in helping coastal towns deal with the fact that some have become dumping grounds for families and individuals on benefits, leading to deprivation as severe as some inner-city areas.
That is one of the key findings of a report on seaside towns published by the Centre for Social Justice, the think tank set up by Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative Party leader. who is now Work and Pensions Secretary.
The report looked at Blackpool, Clacton-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Margate, and Rhyl in north Wales. The study highlighted the importance of using planning controls to limit the proliferation of HMOs.
Read the Centre for Social Justice press release and access the report at: LINK
See the IHBC’s announcement on its Context issue on seaside heritage at: LINK
Search Planning Portal: LINK
