Councillor Don Whitaker, Restore Britain representative for Whittlefield with Ightenhill, is urging residents across the borough to take part in Burnley Council’s official consultation to restrict the uncontrolled conversion of family homes into Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
For years, residential streets throughout Burnley have seen single-family properties converted into high-density HMOs, frequently without adequate consultation with nearby homeowners. Local residents routinely face severe pressure on street parking, increased waste management issues, and a steady erosion of long-standing community cohesion.
Following sustained campaigning by Cllr Whitaker to secure town-wide protection, Burnley Borough Council has opened a public consultation to extend Article 4 directions to the six remaining wards not currently covered by planning restrictions. If approved, the measures will require developers to obtain full planning permission before turning any residential home into an HMO.
Speaking on the launch of the consultation, Cllr Don Whitaker said:
“Burnley families must always come first. For too long, good family homes on our streets have been bought up and carved into HMOs without local people getting any real say. That means more cars, more bin clutter, and a constant loss of the settled, close-knit spirit that makes our neighbourhoods what they are.
“Restore Britain believes in standing up for our residential streets and restoring the strong communities people are proud to call home. The system will not fix this on its own — it only changes when residents force it to. Extending these controls to all six remaining wards will finally protect every corner of our town, but it will only happen if people make their voices heard today.”
The public consultation is officially open and will close strictly at 5:00 PM on Friday, 6 November. Cllr Whitaker is encouraging all residents, community groups, and local homeowners to submit their feedback and share the consultation link with neighbours across the borough.
Residents can submit their response directly online at: