Agenda item

To present the report of the Head of Housing Services.

The report of the Head of Housing Services incorporating the Empty Homes Strategy for 2017 to 2022 was presented for the Committee’s consideration and comment. The Strategy set out the achievements to date as well as how resources will be targeted going forward.

The Portfolio Member for Housing and Social Services commended the Strategy as a positive document in assisting the Authority to continue with the good work begun with regard to bringing empty homes back into use thereby helping to meet the housing need on the Island.

The Committee considered the Strategy document and made the following points –

•           The Committee sought clarification of the basis for the calculation that there are currently 840 homes on the Island which have been empty for six months or more. The Empty Homes Officer said that the Council Tax section holds data on empty property owners and second home owners and provides this information annually to the Empty Homes Officer; this information is used to update the empty homes database. The database is further updated every three months as empty homes come back into use and others become empty. One of the strategic objectives is to maintain and improve the accuracy of empty homes data. The reasons why homes become empty can vary from property to property.

•           The Committee noted that bringing empty homes back into use is a concerted endeavour and involves co-operation between a number of services across the Council including the enforcement service. The Committee sought assurance that the Enforcement Team has sufficient capacity to be able to cope with increasing and varying demands. The Empty Homes Officer said that is her responsibility to co-ordinate the Council’s approach to empty homes enforcement and this includes undertaking preparatory work in the form of collating evidence, drafting reports and outlining the steps that need to be taken. However enforcement action is not a quick fix and is always a last resort when all other options have failed to produce a satisfactory result. Homeowners on whom notice has been served have to be given time to respond and to address the issue.

•           The Committee sought clarification of the process taken in seeking to bring an empty property back into use. The Empty Homes Officer said that Officers will always seek to work with the owners of empty properties in the first instance. This includes offering advice, assistance and options designed to help empty property owners as outlined in the toolkit described in section 6 of the report. Where negotiations have failed, and owners of long-term empty properties refuse or fail to return their property back into use, then firmer measures may be pursued. When such action is required, the Council undertakes to adhere to its enforcement principles which provide for fair and consistent enforcement.           

•           The Committee sought clarification of the impact of the proposed new nuclear power station on housing needs; the availability of housing and on the empty homes issue. The Portfolio Member for Housing and Social Services said that the matter is under consideration and that one of the many issues and potential benefits being explored in ongoing discussions with Horizon with regard to the development of Wylfa Newydd is the possibility of bringing more empty properties back into use. 

•           The Committee questioned whether it would be possible to extend the strategy to include disused chapel buildings which have the potential to be converted into residential dwellings e.g. flats. The Empty Homes Officer said that many chapel buildings are listed and that she understood that under the new proposed Joint LDP, it may well be more difficult for listed chapels to receive consent for conversion into residential use.

Having considered the information presented, the Committee resolved to support the Empty Homes Strategy for 2017-2022 and to recommend the strategy to the Executive for adoption.

NO FURTHER ACTION ENSUING