Plymouth to launch Empty Homes Surgery

As National Empty Homes Week (30 November to 6 December) approaches, Plymouth City Council is preparing to launch its new Empty Homes Surgery.

The sessions will offer empty home owners the chance to discuss their  properties face to face and receive advice on financial assistance, property sales, rental services and discounts.

The surgery will be held at First Stop, New George Street, on the first Wednesday of every month from 10am to 2pm.

There are 744 long term empty homes in Plymouth and 200,000 across England and Wales. The Empty Homes Agency, a national charity that campaigns to bring empty homes back into use, run the National Empty Homes Week each year to raise awareness of the problem.x Its Chief Executive, Helen Williams, visited Plymouth during Empty Homes Week 2014 and praised the city for its innovative work to tackle empty homes.

Since then there has been much progress in Plymouth, including the launch earlier this year of the Council’s Plan for Empty Homes, which aims to bring 200 empty properties in the city back into use by March 2019.

Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Co-operatives and Housing for Plymouth City Council, said: “The Council is doing everything in its power, working with local housing providers and the Empty Homes Agency, to make better use of vacant buildings, and over the past five years we have helped to bring almost 500 previously unused homes back into use.

“As highlighted by Plymouth’s Fairness Commission report, empty homes are a wasted housing resource for the city and with 13,000 people on the housing waiting list, it is crucial that we tackle the issue of empty homes.

“Empty homes blight neighbourhoods, attracting vermin, fly-tipping, squatters and arsonists, and can reduce the value of neighbouring properties nearby by up to 20 per cent.

“If you own or are affected by an empty home in Plymouth, feel free to visit the First Stop between 10am and 2pm on Wednesday 2 December, or between these times on the first Wednesday of any month.”

In addition to bringing 200 homes into use, other key actions in Plymouth’s Plan for Empty Homes include:

• Developing redundant commercial premises by working with local businesses
• Proactively approach empty home owners and offering them incentives to sell, let or owner occupy their empty homes, and
• Taking enforcement action against owners that refuse offers of help through the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders, Enforced Sale Orders, and Empty Dwelling Management Orders.

The National Empty Homes Agency’s recent report Empty Homes in England looks at the case for tackling empty homes. You can download the report by clicking this link: Empty Homes in England or visit www.emptyhomes.com