Calls for empty properties to become housing
Thursday, 13 January 2011 5:26 PM
The head of a campaign group has called for priority to be given to converting disused buildings into housing for those unable to find a suitable home.
David Ireland, chief executive of Empty Homes, said: "The greatest need is for affordable housing. Our view on it is that if it is turned into housing that is the important thing.
"A lot of the problems of affordability are because there are just not enough homes overall. So creating more homes full stop would be extremely helpful," he added.
Communities minister Andrew Stunell recently urged the residents of towns and villages to help their council identify disused properties in the local area.
Under plans discussed this month, the government will match, through the New Homes Bonus, any council tax raised from a home that previously stood empty.
Ireland explained that one of the factors behind high vacancy rates in some parts of Britain is the termination of large regeneration schemes, which saw old housing prepared for demolition.
"Those schemes are not now going ahead because funding has been withdrawn. As a result, there are a lot of properties which have been emptied out in those towns and cities," he added.
"Now is not the time to go ahead with demolition and clearance programmes - there is little prospect of new houses being built in their place.
"What public subsidy there is would actually be better spent on getting those properties back into use," Ireland concluded.
