Jackie Sadek praises No Use Empty

By Jackie Sadek on November 22, 2012 Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced £225m of funding to unblock major housing projects “that have hit a wall” in a speech at the NHBC Lunch today. He also reiterated government ambitions for a…
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced £225m of funding to unblock major housing projects “that have hit a wall” in a speech at the NHBC Lunch today. He also reiterated government ambitions for a new generation of garden cities. Well hey! Let’s see just who is eligible for the “unblocking” before we herald a new dawn of delivery. And I’ve got more faith in garden villages than garden cities myself; I think my version is more deliverable (although I do appreciate that I am a bit ground down, and sometimes it shows a little).

 In the meantime, and rather closer to the chalk face, I am gearing up to chair the morning session of the National Empty Homes Conference 2012 (“Fixing the Great British Property Scandal”) on Monday next at the Building Centre. I am rather honoured to have been asked to do this, as it is clearly this year’s must-attend-event. And if you haven’t got a ticket now, well yah boo sucks, you’re way too late.

They are completely sold out, which in this market is saying something, although as (the utterly and completely decent) David Ireland, CE of the Empty Homes Agency, was at pains to point out to me, some of the voluntary organisations in this field have been invited pro bono or at concessionary prices. He is to be truly commended on using his judgement to get the right people into the room. And how refreshing to work within a conference format that cares more about the content than the profit (hats off to HSBC for sponsoring btw, shows them in a very good light).

We have Don Foster, the new government minister at CLG so I will have to be on best behaviour. And I am a little intimidated, of course, at having to introduce Gorgeous George Clarke, architect, TV presenter and the government’s empty homes adviser. Our man has done so much to publicise this national scandal and in such a can-do sort of way.

As a result of which, the Empty Homes Agency, a venerable body that has been around for 20 years, has suddenly exploded into public consciousness over the past 12 months, having made terrific leaps ahead in mobilising public support with a huge petition but – more to the point – nearly 8,000 British people reporting empty homes via its website, www.reportemptyhomes.com.

UKR is primarily concerned with building homes, of course, even if we do plan to bring a good few empty properties (what George terms “empties”; although I come from an era when this only conjures up visions of empty Tizer and dandelion&burdock bottles) back into use.  But I am no expert. Far from it. So I am looking forward greatly to learning how best to cut through the inevitable red tape to get to the radical idea of… er… putting homeless people into disused properties.

And perhaps the point is that you don’t need expertise, you just need commitment. You just need to care. Which is why the Empty Homes Agency has done so very well in mobilising the great British public (sometimes the British people just restore your faith in human nature, don’t they?) on behalf of the homeless. And the disconnect with this shocking waste of resources.

One of the more successful schemes in the country is run by my old mates at Kent County Council. Their initiative is known by the catchy title of “No Use Empty” and was launched in 2005. David Ireland himself advised on its set-up.

It is innovative in two ways: First, it is run by Kent County Council in partnership with all 12 authorities in the county (no mean feat, says she with feeling), and secondly it pioneered the “Empty Homes Fund”, offering interest-free loans to owners to help return empties to use (£25,000 per unit; £6m provided in loans to date).

Paul Carter, leader of Kent County Council, should be very proud. This scheme has thus far created roughly 2,200 new homes. Around 23% of these are through financial intervention, most are achieved by simply proactively targeting the owners and helping them navigate the various tax and legal issues. And recently, No Use Empty has begun targeting larger empty commercial premises. There are projects underway to convert long-term empty hotels, pubs and even churches into much needed new homes.

I look forward to meeting the team from Kent who will, of course, be at the conference on November 26. And I look forward to meeting all of those brilliant and energetic and indefatigable folk who are refusing to take this national empty homes scandal lying down. I am genuinely not worthy to chair such a conference. But I sure as hell was thrilled to be asked.

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