Councils click into the future of planning
In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different.
Council to explore ‘more aggressive’ strategy on empty property
09/07/2024 Hartlepool Borough Council will consider taking a ‘more aggressive’ approach to tackling derelict buildings and land in the area. |
Welsh councils given new powers to buy empty homes
16/10/2020 Councils in Wales will be allowed to compulsory purchase empty houses and vacant land under new planning rules. |
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Calls for councils to be given more power over empty properties
15/11/2019 A major union has called for councils to be allowed to take over empty properties to house people on waiting lists. |
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Councils should ‘invest to save’ by supporting local regeneration schemes
02/05/2019 Local authorities should support community-based neighbourhood regeneration approaches to help bring empty homes back into use. |
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MSPs to investigate the causes of empty homes in Scotland
05/04/2019 An investigation into empty homes in Scotland and how they can be brought back into use is to be conducted by MSPs. |
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Bankrolling empty properties
28/03/2019 Danny Curran says the Government is sitting on hundreds of empty dwellings while leaving local councils with the bill of maintenance. |
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Making use of empty homes
23/10/2018 Tiffany Cloynes examines some of the legal issues with moving social housing tenants into empty private homes, as proposed by one London council. |
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Council slams MoD for empty homes
09/10/2018 The MoD has been accused of denying families a home after leaving dozens of houses unoccupied and falling into disrepair. |
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Councils call for tax increases on empty homes
18/07/2018 Council leaders have called for the power to double the amount of council tax on homes that have been left empty between two and five years. |
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Councils given power to double council tax on empty homes
28/03/2018 Councils will be allowed to double the rate of council tax on long-term empty properties under new legislation announced today. |
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More than 11,000 homes empty for at least a decade
02/01/2018 More than 11,000 homes have stood empty for at least 10 years, according to new research by the Liberal Democrats. |
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New £1m project to tackle empty homes in Sunderland
13/10/2017 A local partnership including Sunderland council has launched a £1m project to improve rented housing in part of the city and bring more empty properties back into use as family homes. |
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County considers converting empty properties into homes for care leavers
21/06/2017 Norfolk County Council is set to turn empty properties into homes for care leavers in a bid to improve services for vulnerable young people. |
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Councils sitting on 23,000 vacant residential properties
27/04/2017 Local authorities are holding onto over 23,000 vacant residential properties - an average of 87 per council - new research reveals. |
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London councils sitting on 22,000 empty garages finds research
18/01/2017 Councils in London own 22,000 empty garages that could be freed up to deliver at least 16,000 homes, according to new research. |
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Council could double tax on empty homes
03/10/2016 Homes left empty long-term in Newport would be taxed at double the normal rate under plans being considered by the city council. |
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Councils told to publish list of surplus assets
03/02/2016 Councils will be forced to publish details of any buildings that have stood empty for longer than two years, under plans to reduce the number of public surplus assets. |
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Think tank urges push to bring co-housing to the mainstream
26/01/2016 A new report has set out how co-housing can ‘move from the margins to the mainstream’ to make high quality, sustainable and affordable developments the norm. |
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Council to open empty buildings for rough sleepers
16/11/2015 Manchester City Council is opening up empty buildings for rough sleepers to use overnight as part of a campaign to create more bed spaces across the city. |
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Council could open up empty buildings for rough sleepers
02/11/2015 Manchester City Council is exploring the idea of opening up empty public buildings to the homeless. |
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FOI request reveals 2,600 empty council homes across Ireland
28/09/2015 Politicians in Ireland have demanded the country’s 2,600 empty local authority homes are put to use to tackle the ‘growing housing emergency’. |
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Council to launch private company to meet homeless needs
23/06/2015 Bournemouth Council is launching a new company to enable it to buy homes and rent them out to homeless people. |
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Fiscal freedom for councils would unlock empty homes says think tank
30/04/2015 Councils should be allowed to decide their own taxes and funding scheme for empty homes, under plans published by think tank IPPR North. |
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Council tax and foreign investors targeted in Labour housing pledge
27/04/2015 Labour has vowed to give first time buyers priority for new housing and raise council tax on empty properties if it takes power in May. |
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Councils urged to tackle empty homes in new research
16/04/2015 The majority of the public believe councils should do more to bring empty homes back into use rather than building new houses, according to new research. |
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Green Party pledges to ‘revive local democracy’ with new council powers
14/04/2015 The Green Party has vowed to launch new council tax bands for larger properties and remove caps on rises for local authorities. |
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Labour launches ‘fully funded’ General Election manifesto
13/04/2015 Labour has today pledged to target devolution, wage rises and protection of public services, among a range of fully funded manifesto commitments. |
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Council expands £1 homes and shops scheme
27/03/2015 Liverpool is extending its ?Homes for a Pound? scheme following a successful pilot, and is also exploring the possibility of including empty shops in the initiative. |
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Borough hits out at Vacant Building Credit
10/03/2015 The Government’s Vacant Building Credit could reduce affordable housing provision by up to a third, council analysis is claiming. |
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Council issue warning over empty homes
30/01/2015 Home owners who leave properties empty and neglected will be served with a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), under plans announced by Haringey Council. |
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Borough plans historic action to tackle empty homes
05/12/2014 New homeowners in a London borough could be forced to keep their properties occupied, in landmark proposals to tackle ‘buy-to-leave’. |
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Survey shows public support for tackling empty homes
01/12/2014 Nearly three-quarters (74%) of the general public would like their local council to prioritise bringing empty homes back into use, according to a new survey. |
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Miliband sets targets on empty homes
07/05/2014 Labour leader Ed Miliband has pledged to tackle wealthy investors hoarding empty homes by rolling out greater council tax premiums. |
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Number of empty homes reaches an all-time low in England
10/03/2014 The number of empty homes in England has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, according to new figures published today. |
