Hikes in council tax for owners of Shropshire homes empty for more than 10 years
Owners of homes that have been empty for more than 10 years will find themselves paying significantly more council tax.
Shropshire Council has published its policies for council tax rates – with a nasty surprise coming for second home owners in 2025/26.
Under the policies for 2024/25 there will be no discount for those owning a second home in the county, but the following year there will be a 100 per cent increase on the cost of the council tax bill for second properties.
For the next financial year, there are also hikes for empty properties – as the council seeks to encourage people not to leave homes empty.
Homes that have been unoccupied and “substantially unfurnished for more than one year but less than five years will face a premium of 100 per cent, rising to 200 per cent for those between five and ten years, and to 300 per cent for those over a decade.
Meanwhile the Apley Estate is requesting permission to replace a number of windows at one of its properties. The estate has submitted a listed building application for the Old School House on Village Road, Norton.
The building is currently used as its estate office and the application requests permission to replace a number of non-original metal windows, with double glazed wooden windows.
Shropshire Council is also being asked to consider a proposal from National Grid. The plan requests permission for the firm to rebuild an existing overhead power line, at Hubbal Lane, Tong.
The new line would be built next to the existing line which would then be dismantled and removed once the fresh line is completed.
Plans submitted for a town-centre building could see former offices turned back into a family home.
The proposal for 29 St Mary’s Street in Whitchurch looks for convert the property, which was last occupied by tenants in 2019, into a house, as it was originally built.
A decision on the plan will be taken at a later date.
