Agenda item

Recommendation: That the Panel considers the content of the draft Final Report and agrees recommendations for inclusion in the report.

A copy of the Draft Final Report on Empty Properties had been circulated with the agenda.

 

Members discussed the information provided and some minor amendments were suggested.  Members also discussed recommendations for inclusion in the Final Report.

 

AGREED as follows that:

 

1.      The following recommendations were included in the Final Report:

 

A. Introduce a charge of 100% Empty Property Council Tax Premium after year 1 instead of year 2 which it is currently.

 

B. Impose the maximum premium for properties which have been empty for 10 years or more.

 

C. Ensure that all enforcement powers available to the Council such as Completion Notices and Demolition Orders in relation to empty properties are utilised where appropriate and justify any failure to do so.

 

D. Produce a database of derelict empty properties and report annually to the Executive and/or the Place Scrutiny Panel.

 

E. Review empty properties across the town by carrying out data matching using the electoral register, council tax list and business rate list.

 

F. Make greater use of Compulsory Purchase Orders for residential properties and smaller commercial properties such as small shops below flats. For commercial properties investigate schemes such as the High Street Rental Auctions scheme.

 

G. Explore how the Selective Landlord Licensing Scheme can be made into less of a deterrent to letting out empty properties, by allowing landlords to pay the Selective Landlord License fee over 60 monthly payments instead of up front. Also by providing a waiver of future payments if the landlord sells the property.

 

H. Encourage Social Housing Providers to demolish uneconomical properties that cannot be brought back into use or encourage them to sell to other developers or owner occupiers and to reinvest any money generated into their current stock.

 

I. Investigate if CPOs can be issued for unsafe buildings so that they can be demolished by the Council and associated costs passed onto the owner.

 

J. Explore ways of getting long-term empty properties back into use through affordable rents/full market rents or owner occupation as well as social rent.

 

K. Investigate if empty social housing properties that are difficult to let could be used by the council to provide temporary accommodation.

 

L. Explore all possible channels of funding and work with more developers, social housing providers and private landlords to bring empty properties back into use, including office to residential conversions.

 

 

M. Explore alternative ways of dealing with non-residential empty properties that have been taken out of the rateable value ratings where the owner shows no intention of developing the property. Seek to ask Government to change rules on the valuable rating system so not to be exploited/abused by landlords.

 

2.         additional recommendations in relation to the value rating system for empty properties and the use of other regulatory powers would be drafted and

added to the final report.

 

3.          a final version of the report would be circulated to all Panel Members with an opportunity for further amendments/comments, with final approval delegated to the Chair of the Panel. 

 

4.          the final report would be submitted to Overview and Scrutiny Board for  consideration.