Empty Homes

Independent charity “Empty Homes” welcomes the government’s focus on getting homes into use to help relieve housing need expressed in it’s new housing strategy .  In particular it welcomes the announcement today, that a further £50 million will be invested to get empty homes into use. The government says the funding is “to tackle concentrations of poor quality homes in areas of low demand” and comes on top of £100million grant fund that opens for applications today.

Empty Homes Chief Executive David Ireland said “There are tens of thousands of houses lying empty in areas where big regeneration schemes have failed. These range from entirely empty council estates in London, to whole streets of empty housing in cities in the north of England.”

He continued: “This funding is very welcome, but on it’s own it won’t be enough. To get homes back into use where they are in poor condition and the market is weak, empty properties need to be sold at affordable prices to people prepared to refurbish them. Councils need to help by disposing of their own abandoned housing at discounted prices”

The announcement on the new funding was made today. Details are available in the government’s new housing strategy; http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/housingstrategy2011