Plans to bring Shropshire's empty homes back into use

Plans have been drawn up aimed at bringing more of Shropshire's empty homes into use over the next three years and helping some of the thousands of people on housing waiting lists in the county to get a home.

Figures from last year, which are the most recent available, show that there were 4,362 empty homes in the Shropshire Council area, of which 1,933 had been left unoccupied for more than six months.

At the same time there were more than 5,000 people in need of affordable housing on the Shropshire HomePoint housing register with a further 3,500 to 4,000 on other housing association lists.

An empty homes strategy which the council cabinet is being asked next Wednesday to agree for consultation, sets out a range of initiatives to maximise the reuse of empty houses.

It looks at ways of encouraging owners to sell or lease their properties.

The draft strategy document says: "Initially, owners of empty homes will be encouraged to return them to use on a voluntary basis.

"Support, advice, and where appropriate, financial assistance, will be provided."

But it also warns: "Where there is an unwillingness to utilise a property, and no justification for it to remain empty, consideration will be given to the use of enforcement powers available to the council."

The report says there are two main types of empty homes.

There are "transitional vacancies" - homes which are likely to remain empty for a short time, generally between occupancies due to market forces, probate or refurbishment.

The report says these will seldom require council intervention.

The second type is "problematic vacancies" - houses which have been empty for more than six months. These would be targeted for action.

The document says the strategy objectives will be met through a number of measures - raising awareness of empty home issues, gathering relevant information, risk assessing empty homes to determine their priority for action, and focusing efforts on those areas with the greatest concentration of empty homes.

Figures based on the former districts show North Shropshire has the highest number of homes empty for more than six months — 514 out of a total of 940. Bridgnorth has 333 out of 880, South Shropshire 504 out of 913, Oswestry 224 out of 533 and Shrewsbury and Atcham 358 out of 1,096.

By Dave Morris