Kent Pioneers Architect In The Empty House Initiative

No Use Empty, the initiative which is helping to bring empty properties in Kent back into use, has teamed up with a pioneering new scheme to offer owners of empty properties a FREE design and renovation consultation with an architect.…

No Use Empty, the initiative which is helping to bring empty properties in Kent back into use, has teamed up with a pioneering new scheme to offer owners of empty properties a FREE design and renovation consultation with an architect.

The incentive is aimed at providing owners of empty houses with further encouragement to bring their properties back on the market, as not knowing how to approach renovation work is one of the major barriers of bringing empty houses back into use.  Participants in the initiative will be asked to make a small donation to the Empty Homes Agency, the independent campaign charity which promotes sustainable solutions to bringing empty property back into use.

The “Architect in the Empty House” initiative is a joint venture between the Empty Homes Agency and Stephen Donald Architects, and Kent is the first region in the country to join the scheme collectively, giving the estimated 18,400 empty homes in the county the opportunity to benefit from free professional architectural consultation.  It is hoped that the initiative will subsequently be rolled out to other regions in the country.

No Use Empty is a partnership between Kent County Council and the District Councils to combat the ongoing problem of empty housing through a joined-up approach.  The initiative was launched in 2005 and has helped create around 800 new homes by recycling empty, unused properties.

Each district council in Kent will be writing to every empty property owner on its database to offer this service.  In return for a £50 donation to the Empty Homes Agency, the owner will receive a one hour consultation on site with a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) qualified architect, who will subsequently provide a full report and valuation of work.  There is no obligation for the home owner to proceed with carrying out the work recommended.

Steve Grimshaw, project manager of No Use Empty on behalf of Kent County Council, said: “This is an excellent initiative which creates a win-win situation for the owner of empty properties and the campaign to recycle existing housing stock.  Organising refurbishment and renovation work can be a time-consuming and costly exercise, but Architect in the Empty House offers a real incentive to owners to assess the options open to them, courtesy of a free personal consultation with an expert.”

David Ireland, Chief Executive with the Empty Homes Agency, said: “Empty properties are a waste of a valuable housing resource, losing the owner income, depriving people of a home, and causing a detrimental impact to the local community.  No Use Empty has always been a forward thinking initiative which demonstrates how local authorities can work together to tackle the issue, and I’m delighted Kent is the first region to support this important initiative.”

Stephen Donald, founder of Stephen Donald Architects Ltd, said: “This is a unique opportunity for owners of empty properties to discuss design changes and improvements to their home with a qualified RIBA chartered architect.  The consultation and recommendation could make a home more spatially and energy efficient, while adding value to the property and raising funds to support the EHA’s vital work”. Empty property owners can book a free preliminary Architect In The Empty House consultation log on to www.sda-net.com

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.

No Use Empty also operates a successful loan scheme, which offers owners of empty properties interest-free loans to help finance necessary renovation works to bring houses back in to use. To date, the scheme has issued almost £2 million in loans, at a time when the current economic climate makes it very difficult for individuals to borrow money from financial institutions.

If you are an empty property owner and would like to apply for a FREE design and renovation consultation, please call the No Use Empty hotline number on 08458 247 605.

The No Use Empty team urges the public to report properties in their local community which they believe to be long term vacant.  The No Use Empty campaign hotline is 08458 247 605.