In mid-August, Canterbury City Council passed a paper proposing a refusal to permit more than 20% HMOs in any 100m radius. This paper included a recommendation that this rule be introduced whilst they are still consulting on the proposal. Consequently, this has already lead to refusals for planning permission to convert a property into an HMO, even in areas where the propertion of HMOs is at 9.5% - far below the stated 20%.

This is the kind of mis-use of planning tools that NUS warned about in its consultation response last summer. Kent Union have set up a petition and website to express their concern about the issue and send a clear message to the local council that students - and anyone else unable to get on the property ladder - should have the right to rent.