Charity to manage new HMO after council permits change of use
A house on 67 Horbury Drive, Bury, that has been converted into a four-bedroom House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) will be managed by the charity Nacro, neighbours have been told.
Earlier this year an application was submitted to Bury Council seeking to lawfully change the building’s use from a single residential dwelling to an HMO under permitted development rights. In a decision published on 13 March, the council concluded the criteria for permitted development were met and allowed the conversion.
Local residents on Horbury Drive received a letter from the charity dated 27 August explaining that Nacro would be "taking over the housing management and support" at the property.
"Our staff make regular visits to our properties to offer support to tenants and will ensure repairs and garden maintenance services are in place."
The letter also notes that an out-of-hours service will be provided — manned from 6pm to 8am and over weekends — and furnished neighbours with contact details for the service.
Who Nacro are and what they do
Nacro, formerly the National Association of Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Societies, is a national charity that offers housing, education and wellbeing support to people rebuilding their lives. The organisation’s work can include supporting people on bail, those who have left prison and people who are at risk of homelessness.
The charity’s stated approach — regular property visits and on-site housing management — aims to combine tenancy support with maintenance and neighbour liaison.
- Property layout: four bedrooms and a shared bathroom on the first floor; shared kitchen, dining and living room on the ground floor.
- Management: Nacro will provide regular visits, repairs and garden maintenance arrangements.
- Contact arrangements: out-of-hours cover from 18:00–08:00 and at weekends.
Planning context and borough-wide change
The conversion was carried out under permitted development rights, which historically allowed smaller HMOs of up to six unrelated people to change use without full planning permission where the use would not significantly differ from the existing purpose of the house.
Bury Council has since enforced an Article 4 Direction across the borough removing those permitted development rights for smaller HMOs. The effect of the Article 4 Direction is that smaller HMOs now generally require full planning permission, whereas previously only HMOs with seven or more occupants needed it.
| Event | Date / detail |
|---|---|
| Planning decision allowing HMO conversion | 13 March (decision published) |
| Neighbour letter from Nacro | 27 August (sent to Horbury Drive residents) |
| Article 4 Direction | Enforced borough-wide (removes permitted development rights for smaller HMOs) |
For neighbours, the change has practical implications. The property’s day-to-day management will now be handled by a charity that works with people who often need additional support. The letter’s assurances about regular visits, repair and garden provision and out-of-hours cover are intended to address common local concerns about HMOs — noise, maintenance and tenant behaviour.
Local residents who received the notice were given contact details for Nacro’s management and the out-of-hours service. The council’s planning decision and the subsequent Article 4 Direction show how HMO regulation in Bury is changing, with the authority moving to bring smaller shared houses under greater planning control.
This case on Horbury Drive is one of the more visible examples in Bury of how housing need, third-sector providers and planning law are intersecting on familiar residential streets.
