(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Hanson)
Cabinet received a report from the Head of Regeneration & Planning to seek approval for the adoption of an Enforced Sale Procedure as a mechanism to bring problematical long-term empty dwellings in the private sector back into habitable use in cases where Council debts have been registered as a local land charge against the property and not discharged.
The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:
|
|
Option 1: Adopt enforced sales procedure |
Option 2: Do not adopt enforced sales procedure |
|
Advantages |
Will bring long term empty properties back into use. Help regenerate the area, provide accommodation and recoup outstanding debts. It signals the council’s commitment to addressing the empty property issues. |
None. Officer time will be relocated to other projects |
|
Disadvantages |
There will be some additional burden on the authority’s legal resources |
These properties will continue to deteriorate, be detrimental to the community, may detract from private investment and will be a waste of a valuable asset. |
|
Risks |
Risk of bad publicity if the process is not managed correctly. |
These dilapidated properties will continue to have an adverse effect on the area they are located in. |
Option 1 was the officer preferred option because it would remove and/or regenerate long term empty properties, provide valuable accommodation, recoup outstanding debts and indicate the Council’s commitment to addressing the empty property issue.
The use of
the Enforced Sale Procedure should be seen as a last
resort. It
was expected that all informal and formal action would have been
taken and exhausted by the Council in order to resolve the
existence of the empty dilapidated property and its associated
problems. The Council was committed to
carrying out its duties in a fair and consistent
manner. This policy would be applied
having regard to the Council's Public Protection Enforcement Policy
and the Enforcement Concordat in the regulation of private sector
housing.
Councillor Leytham proposed, seconded by Councillor Hamilton-Cox:-
“(1) That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”
Councillors then voted:-
Resolved unanimously:
(1) That Cabinet agrees to adopt the Enforced Sales Procedure appended to the report in the agenda.
(2) That Cabinet authorises Officers to implement the adopted Enforced Sale procedure in appropriate cases.
Officers responsible for effecting the decision:
Head of Regeneration & Planning
Reasons for making the decision:
Bringing empty properties back into use is one of the key actions in delivering the Council’s health and well being priorities as set out in the Corporate Plan and has significant community safety and sustainability benefits.