A housing campaigner has called on Newport City Council to impose an immediate moratorium on the approval of new houses in multiple occupation pending a comprehensive review of their impact on residential communities and local services.
Concerns have been raised that the conversion of family dwellings into HMOs is altering the character of established neighbourhoods while simultaneously reducing the availability of appropriately sized accommodation for households with children.
The campaign group is urging the local authority to publish transparent evidence demonstrating that HMO developments are responding to a verified local housing requirement, including the extent to which such properties provide accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness or housing deprivation.
Questions have also been raised regarding the broader development strategy for Newport, where proposals for approximately 4,000 additional residential units have been put forward without clarity on whether adequate infrastructure capacity exists to support such growth, or what proportion of the proposed housing would comprise affordable or social rented accommodation.
The council has been asked to clarify the assessment criteria applied to HMO planning applications, specifically regarding community cohesion considerations, the conditions attached to any approvals granted, and critically, the mechanisms employed to verify compliance with those conditions following occupation.
Currently, no systematic post-approval monitoring process is in place.
The campaign has also highlighted that the Labour administration recently prevented local authorities from refusing to house irregular migrants in HMO properties.
Campaigners are requesting anonymised demographic data detailing the housing needs that proposed developments are designed to address and the populations they intend to serve.
The group contends that this represents a fundamental transparency requirement and that requesting lawful, aggregated reporting information should not be conflated with demands for individual tenant identities or nationalities.
Such an approach would, according to the campaign, prevent the council from misapplying data protection legislation when residents submit enquiries.
A temporary suspension of HMO approvals would provide the council with an opportunity to examine existing evidence, enhance monitoring arrangements, and address resident concerns through improved communication.
The campaign has criticised the current public consultation process, which relies on notices affixed to street furniture, describing this approach as inadequate for enabling meaningful community participation in planning decisions.
The group is additionally calling for the convening of public meetings to facilitate direct engagement between residents and council representatives.
The campaign maintains that Newport requires a housing strategy that serves the interests of existing communities and individuals with genuine housing needs, rather than one that operates without adequate transparency regarding occupancy and residency patterns.