£1 million plans lined up for empty houses
HOUSES could be brought back into use under a £1 million plan to cut the number of empty properties in Doncaster.
The money would be used to provide loans and grants to convert some of the 4,689 vacant houses in the borough into affordable homes.
The scheme was outlined in a report to Doncaster Council's Safer Stronger and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel.
It said: "The council have identified 1 million within the Housing Capital Programme to deliver a grant and loans scheme to incentivise empty property owners to bring empty properties back into use as affordable housing."
The authority said it hopes the grants package will be made available from September 2010. The grant would tie property owners into a five-year managing agents agreement with St Leger Homes, which would find tenants and set rent levels.
Officers are working with Sheffield, Rotherham and Bradford on an empty property loan package, which would allow property owners to renovate their empty property using its value.
The report added that availability of the loans would be based on the location of empty houses. Preference would be likely to go areas earmarked for regeneration and to areas which have high levels of empty properties, such as the town centre, Bentley and Thorne.
Gary Wells, assistant director of strategic housing, said in his report: "The economic climate has had an impact on empty property figures.
"The housing market has slowed as people are not purchasing new homes; with many people unable to access finance or a mortgage.
"Those who have bought properties as an investment are finding it difficult to finance repairs, and some have found themselves in negative equity."
The number of empty properties in the borough fell in the most recent figures, which refer to April 2010.
The figure for 2009 had been 5,236, while it had been 5,138 in 2008.
The council's target for 2011 is to cut the figure down to 4,086.
Officials say empty houses can cause a cycle of decline, attract drug users and are an arson risk if they are not properly secured.
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