Find out about the council's Empty Property Strategy.
Meeting Government Targets
The Government has set targets for councils to address the problem of empty properties. These include:
- A national target of reducing the percentage of empty homes to 3%
- A national target that by 2008, 60% of new housing should be built on brownfield land or by the conversion of existing buildings
- A specific empty homes Best Value Performance Indicator (BV64) recording the number of private sector dwellings that are returned into occupation or demolished annually as a result of action by the local authority
Eastbourne's widely acclaimed Empty Property Strategy (EPS) is the council's commitment to helping owners turn liabilities into assets - and much needed homes.
How Many Empty Properties are there in Eastbourne?
According to official statistics there were 1,541 empty properties at 31 March 2006, representing 3.35% of the private stock.
Of these, over 424 (1.1%) have been empty for over one year. The council is committed to bringing as many empty properties as possible back into use.
How Does Reducing Numbers of Empty Properties Help Owners and the Town in General?
Bringing an empty home back into use offers owners considerable potential advantages:
Bringing back a property into use encourages economic vitality and has a positive impact on the environment. It also helps to maintain and protect a buoyant local housing market by replacing empty and decaying properties with refurbished or new homes.
How Can the Council Help?
The strategy gives details of the various options available to help and support owners who wish to see their properties occupied. It also describes the enforcement powers available to the council when encouragement has proved ineffective.
The council has an Empty Property Officer with responsibility for reviewing, updating and implementing the Empty Property Strategy. He is the first point of contact if you own an empty property and need help to bring it back into use.
He will be pleased to provide advice and guidance with respect to maintaining, improving, selling, leasing or letting your property. He can also discuss renovation or redevelopment opportunities, offering assistance in the form of grants or loans in appropriate circumstances.
