Two derelict properties could be compulsory purchased by the Council as part of a crackdown on empty homes.
An empty property is a wasted home that could be lived in by someone who needs it. There are not enough houses in Plymouth and so bringing empty properties back to life is a crucial tool for tackling the housing crisis in our city.
In Plymouth, empty homes officers are proactive and engage with the city’s most troublesome empty homes all year-round. They not only offer advice, guidance and financial assistance, but also have the option of enforcement as a last resort.
The two properties, one in Pennycomequick and the other in Tamerton Foliot, are in a serious state of disrepair and despite the best efforts of the Council's Housing Delivery team, the owners have refused to take the action required to bring them back into use.
Now, with all other options exhausted, Cabinet will consider whether to use Compulsory Purchase Orders to acquire the properties when it meets on Monday 11 March.
As detailed in Section 17 of the Housing Act 1985, local housing authorities can compulsorily acquire land, houses or other properties for the provision of housing accommodation. Once acquired, the Council will then sell the property at auction with the proviso that they are brought back to the market for people to live in.
The news comes during Empty Homes Week 2024, a national initiative designed to shine the spotlight on a housing issue.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities, said: "Bringing empty homes back into use is a crucial part of our fight against the national housing crisis.
"There are thousands of families in need of a home at the moment so it's really pleasing to begin the process of bringing these two properties back to the market."
Holdsworth Street, Pennycomequick
The property has been empty since August 2010 when the owner passed away.
The ground floor was once a shop, but there is already planning permission in place to change its use to residential.
The property is in a poor state of repair and looks run down; there is graffiti on the shop front window and the back garden is overgrown. It is causing a nuisance to neighbours and we have received a large number of complaints.
The Housing Delivery team made contact with the beneficiary of the previous owners estate and offered a number of measures to support him to bring the property back into use including Financial Assistance, Houselet and Lease and Repair. They also advised on a number of issues including applying for probate/letters of administration, sourcing mixed use buildings insurance and sourcing architectural technicians.
Despite this the property remains empty and in a poor state of repair and the beneficiary of the estate is no longer engaging.
Whitsoncross Lane, Tamerton Foliot
This property has been empty for over ten years and both the front and rear gardens are substantially overgrown and are causing a nuisance to the neighbours. The property itself is covered in ivy which is also growing inside the conservatory.
The owner was initially contacted in May 2019 when the empty property was first reported, but despite numerous attempts to contact him no response was received.
Following this, the Empty Homes team issued an Untidy Land notice and when this was not complied with, a Prevention of Damage by Pests notice was served. This was also not complied with.
As a result, works in default were carried out and registered as a local land charge. In November 2021, a notice under section 103 of the Law of Property Act 1925 was issued to recover this debt.
At this point, the owner did get in touch and paid the debt in full and said that they would redevelop the property in Spring 2022.
This deadline was missed and to date no work has been undertaken at the property. The owner is no longer engaging and so a CPO is the last resort.