Council Partnership Delivers Almost 500 New Homes In East Kent

A unique initiative which is helping to create new homes across Kent by bringing long term empty properties back into use has comfortably exceeded its delivery target. Launched in 2005, No Use Empty; the Kent Empty Property Initiative commenced as…

A unique initiative which is helping to create new homes across Kent by bringing long term empty properties back into use has comfortably exceeded its delivery target.

Launched in 2005, No Use Empty; the Kent Empty Property Initiative commenced as a partnership between Kent County Council and the East Kent coastal authorities, which research had revealed have the highest number of empty homes.  New figures just released reveal that in the last three years, almost 500 properties have been brought back into use as new, good quality homes. Following the success of the partnership in East Kent, the remaining District councils from across the county have joined the initiative.

The initial three-year target for the number of empty properties to be returned to use was 372, and this figure has been surpassed by more than 30%, with a total of 487 vacant properties given a new lease of life and turned into a home.

Roger Gough, Cabinet Member for Regeneration at Kent County Council, said: “Empty houses are a scourge on our local communities, preventing investment and regeneration, devaluing surrounding properties, attracting anti-social behaviour and depriving people of a much needed home.  In teaming up with local authorities from across the county, Kent has tackled this issue head-on, delivering outstanding results which prove that this initiative is an effective and efficient approach to tackling empty housing.

He continued: “This success is a great testimony to the hard work and dedication of the No Use Empty project team, but especially the Empty Property Officers from across the local district councils.  The initiative has been widely praised across the UK as a unique partnership between County and local councils and is a blueprint for other councils in the country to follow.”

David Ireland, Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency, said: “No Use Empty has more than lived up to its early promise. Not only have the councils preformed well, but the initiative has had a catalytic effect encouraging others to bring empty homes back into use. The numbers of empty homes in East Kent has dropped significantly over the last three years. We think that Kent has created a fantastic model here that other parts of the country could and should follow. ”

The objective of the No Use Empty is to raise awareness of the issue of empty housing and the problems it causes to local communities, and to help bring them back into use.

No Use Empty supports the existing work carried out by the 12 local authorities to tackle the problem, giving housing officers access to a wider group of resources, skills and experiences and engaging in a joined-up approach with Kent County Council and bordering districts to achieve improved results in returning properties back to use.

The No Use Empty team urge the public to report properties in their local community which they believe to be long term vacant to the No Use Empty campaign hotline on 08458 247 605. For further information on the No Use Empty campaign, visit: www.no-use-empty.org