Swale Borough Council to offer loans to owners to help bring unused properties back into use.
Owners of properties in Swale that are currently lying empty and unused will now be able to apply for interest-free loans in order to renovate them and bring them back into use.
Swale already participates in the No Use Empty scheme, which was launched in 2005 by Kent County Council in a bid to tackle the escalating housing shortage across the county.
Under the scheme, district and borough councils, in partnership with Kent County Council, provide owners of run-down, unused properties with the necessary information and advice to return them to use.
Swale Borough Council is now going a step further by adopting the Loan Fund element of the scheme, which is operated by Kent County Council and offers owners interest-free loans to cover the cost of repairs and renovations.
The decision means that owners in Swale will now be able to apply for loans of up to £175,000.
Steve Grimshaw, Regeneration Project Manager at Kent County Council said:
“It is great news that Swale will now be participating in the Loan Scheme. We need to put empty homes to use to make sure we can meet the increasing demand for quality, affordable housing across the County. Derelict houses also have an impact on the price of nearby occupied properties and serve as a magnet for crime and anti-social behaviour, so returning them to use has a positive impact on the community as a whole. We welcome loan applications from owners of empty properties across Swale who want to take positive action.”
Derek Conway, Swale Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, Health and Wellbeing, said:
“Empty homes are a drain on the community and we fully support the initiative led by Kent County Council to transform these into much-needed homes. There are roughly 300 long-term empty homes across the Borough, and joining the No Use Empty Loan Fund will make a huge difference as we work with owners to try and return as many as possible to use.”
In Swale, a total of 122 long-term empty properties have been brought back to use since 2005.