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Harlow Council leader hits out at government over office-to-resi conversions
The leader of Harlow Council has called on the government to change its permitted development rights, after a report from the Children’s Commissioner revealed how office-to-resi block conversions are impacting homeless families.
Mark Ingall, leader of Harlow Council, said: “The report backs up the serious concerns we have been voicing for many months about national policies that have resulted in London councils and others placing children and adults into former office blocks in the town.”
In a report entitled Bleak Houses, the Children’s Commissioner calls the growing use of office block conversions for temporary accommodation a “deeply worrying development”.
The report said Harlow has become a “hot spot” for this type of development, which it said are often cramped, unsafe and near industrial estates.
Mr Ingall said the council know of a case where a mother and two children are living in a bedsit in an office block in Harlow, with only a single bed and single mattress to share and no toilet of their own.
He also said families are forced to move to Harlow, “miles away from their communities, families and where they go to school, socialise or play”.
In 2013, the government changed planning rules so that developers no longer need to get planning permission in order to convert office blocks for residential use.
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Earlier this year an office-to-resi conversion in Harlow called Terminus House was brought under the spotlight by the BBC. The block included more than 200 apartments and residents living there told the BBC of fears around crime, drug use and a lack of space.
In 2018, Harlow Council held a review into the impact of permitted development in the council area. It discovered that over 1,000 units within their boundaries had been created as a result of office-to-resi conversions.
Harlow Council is now attempting to introduce Article 4 directions, which force developers to gain planning permission for office conversions within certain areas, however Mr Ingall said this is a “lengthy process” and “will not address the developments which have already happened”.
Mr Ingall said: “The pressure on London councils to offload their housing crisis onto Harlow has, according to these councils, been made worse by the Local Housing Allowance cap freeze.
“This is making it increasingly difficult for London councils [to] find accommodation for benefit claimants in their own areas that falls below the maximum they are allowed by government to spend.
“The UK is now the fifth richest country in the world, it is unacceptable that there isn’t the funding for councils to build sufficient houses across the country to prevent families being forced to relocate into unplanned and unsuitable accommodation.
“The government must now act quickly to change its permitted development rights. It must also work closely with councils to review the freeze on the Local Housing Allowance cap and make funding available to help create the council housing the country desperately needs, which will provide proper, decent affordable homes.”
A government spokesperson said: “No child should have to live in dangerous accommodation and we are working to ensure all families have a safe place to stay.
“We have invested £1.2bn to tackle all types of homelessness and we are working closely with councils across the country to reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation.
“In just two years, our team of specialist advisors have helped councils to reduce the number of families in B&B accommodation for more than six weeks by 28%.”
