Planning enforcement in Erewash is under growing pressure – with a rising workload, limited staffing and continued demand linked to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
New information presented to councillors shows there are currently 148 open planning enforcement cases across the borough, being handled by the equivalent of just 1.5 full-time officers.
In response, the council has brought in two agency staff to help deal with the backlog – a temporary measure aimed at increasing capacity in the short term.
Planning officers are due to tell councillors at a Scrutiny Committee meeting tonight that cases are being prioritised, and that HMOs remain a key focus of enforcement activity and will continue to be.
Pressure building around HMOs
For towns like Ilkeston, the focus is significant. Concerns around HMOs – including property standards, changes of use and how quickly issues are addressed – have become an increasingly visible issue locally.
At the same time, HMOs are also placing additional pressure on already stretched enforcement resources, with officers confirming the sector is a key area of activity. That creates a difficult balance. On one hand, the council is prioritising HMOs. On the other, the very scale of that work risks slowing progress elsewhere – and potentially within HMO cases themselves.
Temporary fix, long-term question
The introduction of two agency staff suggests the council recognises the pressure. But agency workers are typically short-term support, raising questions about whether this is a temporary response to a longer-term problem.
Councillors are also to be told that experienced planning officers are difficult to recruit, while some of the most complex cases – often the ones that matter most to residents – can be the hardest to resource.
Article 4 delay
The pressure comes at a time when tighter controls on HMOs are still some way off.
Erewash has approved an Article 4 Direction to remove permitted development rights for smaller HMOs – but it is not due to come into force until May 2027.
That means, for now, many conversions from family homes to smaller HMOs can still take place without full planning permission.
Many other councils adjacent to Erewash have already introduced similar restrictions, leaving a gap where activity can continue in the meantime.
Impact to Ilkeston
For residents, the combination of a backlog, limited staffing and ongoing HMO demand raises some clear risks:
- Delays in investigating reported issues
- Growing frustration where concerns are not resolved quickly
- Inconsistent outcomes, depending on how cases are prioritised
- And a wider sense that rules may not be keeping pace with what is happening on the ground
Planning enforcement is often the final stage of the system – the point at which rules are tested in real situations. When that part of the system is under strain, it can affect confidence more broadly in how development is managed.
A system under strain
The council has made clear it is taking steps to manage the workload, including bringing in temporary agency staff and prioritising cases.
But with 148 cases still open, and HMOs continuing to generate demand, those measures raise a wider question about whether the response matches the scale of the issue.
For residents, the concern is not just the number of cases – but how long problems are left unresolved, and whether enforcement can realistically keep pace with what is happening on the ground.
Have you raised a planning or property concern locally? Did you feel it was dealt with quickly – or are you still waiting?