Council backs planning guidance on HMOs and protecting key heritage sites

Article date: 21 January 2026

St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet backed a series of Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) that will provide support to aid its continued positive delivery of the plan.

This includes a new SPD that will set out the council's approach to improving the management of HMOs and their development and provision throughout the borough.

HMOs are a necessary part of the housing mix as they provide small, affordable and flexible accommodation for a wide variety of people including single people, students, low salaried workers, seasonal workers and those on short term contracts. 

The SPD will be used as part of decision making on planning applications for these properties and will help improve the standards of the accommodation that is provided and reduce potential detrimental impacts on neighbours.

Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: "HMOs are an important part of our housing mix, helping us to support people who need accommodation that might otherwise struggle such as single people, students, low salaried or seasonal workers, and those on short term contracts. This new SPD though will help us to make sure that they are in appropriate locations to reduce the detrimental impact on neighbours and improve the standards of these properties."

Another SPD will provide key heritage sites across the borough extra protection through local listing. The Locally Listed Heritage Assets SPD sets out the criteria for identifying buildings and structures of special local architectural and historical interest, the process for adding these buildings/structures to a 'local heritage list' and to offer them a level of protection against undesirable alterations and/or irreplaceable loss.

Meanwhile the Local Economy and Social Value SPD sets out the council's approach to encouraging economic growth and securing additional outcomes (known as social value) for local residents, communities and businesses. And the Affordable Housing SPD sets out the council's updated and strengthened expectations in relation to affordable housing provision on development sites, to make sure that prospective developers are aware of the requirements that need to be met when submitting a planning application for residential development.

Councillor McCauley added: "All of these new or updated SPDs will support our vision for growth and development across the borough, in particular protect our heritage assets that we know communities feel very strongly about, and help us build on our St Helens Local Plan to sustainably grow our borough."