Planning permission is now needed for Houses of Multiple Occupation or HMOs in 10 areas of Crawley. 

Anyone wishing to convert a property in these areas to an HMO must submit a change of use planning application to the council. Crawley Borough Council has introduced new Article 4 Directions for properties which accommodate between three and six unrelated individuals. 

The locations concerned include a number of roads in Furnace Green, and roads in Ifield, Three Bridges, Southgate and Pound Hill. 

The Council says it is seeing growing evidence that Houses of Multiple Occupation were clustering in those areas which contain a large number of three-storey townhouses.  It says bringing in these directions will reduce the negative impacts like noise and parking problems.