These are the latest figures:
Total empty homes 1097
Of those, empty over 6 months 639
(Of the total 37 are second homes)
These are the latest figures:
Total empty homes 1097
Of those, empty over 6 months 639
(Of the total 37 are second homes)
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No comment apart from the obvious one if you recall the answer from Councillor Hudson on behalf of Councillor Mrs. Capon at Full Council on 27 July.
“THEREFORE THEY WILL NOT HAVE ANY AFFECT [reduction] ON THE HOUSING ALLOCATIONS DETAILED IN THE CORE STRATEGY”
https://www.onlinefocus.org/?p=4877
[blockquote] The funds will be made available through the Empty Homes initiative in partnership with Pathmeads Housing Association. Grants will be offered to improve empty properties, subject to the owner agreeing to a five year lease. The initiative is intended to help bring empty properties back into use and make a contribution towards providing homes for people in need. There are currently over four hundred empty homes in the Rochford District where the owners could make enquiries to be involved in the scheme.
This initiative is to be welcomed, and is intended to help to relieve the acute shortage of affordable homes, but following the expiration of the five year lease these properties will revert back to the original owners to do with as they will. Therefore they will not have any affect on the housing allocations detailed in the Core Strategy.
It is interesting to note that a Thames Gateway scheme has been running for a year and has not attracted a single applicant.” [/blockquote]
Two thoughts:
1) how can an empty property be a “second home”? Surely its just another home?
2) If we have a stock of over 600 empty homes, why do we need 3,800 more?
It makes no sense to run a scheme which purports to bring empty homes into rental use which nobody wants to use but even if there was a take up we would still be building new houses to make up for the shortfall in the “market” caused by empty homes. If the re-use was allowable as a reduction to the housing needs which are being filled by building on green belt then this would encourage local authorities to get involved in promoting such a scheme. New scheme required and over the the Con Lib Coalition Government to come up with something sensible. Something to give to Pickles to sort out !!