ST HELENS
EMPTY HOMES STRATEGY
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Contents
Contents
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Objectives of the Strategy ................................................................................................................. 5
The National Policy Context .............................................................................................................. 5
Empty Properties – The St Helens Context ..................................................................................... 6
Priority For Action .............................................................................................................................. 7
The Council’s Approach ..................................................................................................................... 8
a) Effective Prevention ................................................................................................................... 8
Identifying empty properties ............................................................................................................. 8
Advice and Assistance ....................................................................................................................... 8
Publicity ............................................................................................................................................... 8
Partnership Working........................................................................................................................... 8
Housing Options – Choice Based Lettings ..................................................................................... 9
Private Landlord Support – Accreditation .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Strategic Planning .............................................................................................................................. 9
Council Tax .......................................................................................................................................... 9
b) Enforcement - Use of Legislative Powers ................................................................................ 9
Enforcement Powers ......................................................................................................................... 11
Enforced Sale Procedure ................................................................................................................. 12
Empty Dwellings Management Orders (EDMO) ............................................................................ 12
Compulsory Purchase Orders......................................................................................................... 12
Monitoring and Review .................................................................................................................... 13
Contact Information .......................................................................................................................... 13
3
Executive Summary
The St Helens Council’s Empty Homes Strategy is subject to ongoing review and articulates the
Council’s continued commitment to tackling the problem of long-term empty homes in the Borough.
This Strategy outlines a co-ordinated pro-active approach to tackling empty homes working with
partners, including private landlords and homeowners to reduce the number of long-term empty
homes in the Borough.
It is accepted that at any given time there will always be a number of empty homes. Many of these
homes will be transitional vacancies or vacancies which occur as people buy and sell their homes.
These homes are re-occupied relatively quickly, are necessary for the mobility of the housing
market and seldom require the Council to intervene to ensure they are brought back into use.
This Strategy is not looking to intervene in the normal process of homes becoming empty and then
coming back into use but will focus on tackling long-term problematic empty homes which have
been vacant for 6 months and more.
Bringing long-term empty homes back into use has emerged as one of the Government’s key
housing priorities and some additional resources have been made available to local authorities to
support them in this area.
Empty homes represent a wasted resource and a missed opportunity in meeting the housing needs
of the Borough. They can cause problems for the Council, owners, neighbours and communities,
the emergency services and the environment. They can often be a blemish on an area and can be
subject to increasing anti-social behaviour such as vandalism and graffiti. Work on tackling empty
homes complements the Council’s overall aims and commitments set out in the St Helens Plan for
creating better places and:
“ improving the range, quality and choice of housing provision across all tenures whilst
maximising investment in housing as much as possible in the current economic climate.”
In St Helens there are currently over 1,000 homes that have been vacant for more than 6 months.
This represents under 2% of the Borough’s total housing stock. Whilst the level of long-term vacant
homes has fallen in recent years, the Council cannot afford to be complacent with regard to the
ongoing need to reduce vacancy numbers in order to address the need for affordable housing and
tackle environmental and neighbourhood sustainability issues.
The approach to dealing with empty homes was reviewed during the lifetime of the previous
Strategy. This Strategy has been further developed and amended to ensure the Council’s actions
remain responsive to current demands and legislative and strategic requirements. The Council’s
primary approach will be to encourage owners of private empty homes to bring them back into use
through negotiation and to build on existing relationships and to engage with, and support, private
landlords. However, this approach is not always successful and this Strategy is therefore intended
to make sure the Council:
a) has a range of options, including enforcement powers, available to help bring empty homes
back into use;
b) uses consistent agreed procedures to decide when and how action will be taken; and
c) is systematic in the way in which it makes contact with the owners of empty homes.
In particular, this Strategy:
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• sets out a series of clear objectives to tackle and reduce the number of long-term empty
homes;
• identifies the tools available to deal effectively with empty homes;
• links empty homes to housing demand;
• introduces a new system for categorising and prioritising empty homes to determine those
requiring further enforcement action;
• ensures an annual review of data to provide accurate information on the extent and scale of
empty homes across the Borough;
• adopts an intelligence led approach using GIS and Council Tax data; and
• remains flexible, responsive and alert to national and sub-regional policy development and
initiatives.
The Strategy concludes with a comprehensive action plan for further action that builds on previous
and current achievements, ensuring a streamlined service for residents that provides positive
outcomes and delivers value for money.
As a working document, the Council will monitor and revisit this Strategy annually, updating it as
necessary to reflect delivery against the action plan and any changes in future policy to ensure that
the Council continues to provide a good quality service in this area.
5
Introduction
At a time when housing is an increasingly expensive commodity, the number of new homes being
built continues to fall and there is a severe shortage of affordable new homes, it is widely accepted
that an empty home is a wasted asset. Empty homes can also have a detrimental effect on
neighbourhoods and send out negative messages about the “liveability” of an area and be a magnet
for a wide range of anti-social behaviour, from fly tipping through to squatting and other criminal
activities.
It is essential therefore that the Council continues to explain how the issue of empty homes will be
addressed, including the toolkit of measures that will be used to ensure that the best use is made of
the housing stock in the Borough.
The St Helens Empty Homes Strategy is a key document that will continue to support the delivery of
regeneration and renewal within the Borough and is a supporting document of the Private Rented
Sector Strategy and Enforcement Policy, together with the overarching Housing Strategy.
Objectives of the Strategy
The overall aim of the Strategy is to implement a range of measures that will directly, or indirectly,
help return long-term private sector empty homes back into use and so reduce the number of empty
homes. To achieve this, the Council has identified a number of objectives to:
• raise awareness of empty homes in the Borough;
• develop a co-ordinated approach to help identify and tackle empty homes and to ensure that
the most serious and problematic cases receive the most urgent attention;
• maximise the re-use of empty homes and to reduce the number of long-term empty homes
in the Borough;
• provide good quality affordable housing, promote housing choice and meet housing needs
through the use of existing resources; and
• improve the “liveability” of our neighbourhoods, by working in partnership to address the
problems caused by long-term vacant homes, for example, fly tipping, vandalism and anti-
social behaviour.
It is important to state that this Strategy is concerned with long-term vacant homes which have been
vacant for more than 6 months.
The National Policy Context
In ‘Laying the Foundations’, a Housing Strategy for England, the Government has set out its
commitment to bringing empty homes back into use as a sustainable way of increasing the overall
supply of housing and reducing the negative impact that neglected empty homes can have on
communities. It has put in place a number of practical and financial incentives and levers to support
local housing authorities, housing providers and community and voluntary groups including:
▪ The award of the New Homes Bonus to empty properties brought back into use;
▪ Providing information and practical advice to local authorities and communities to help them
address empty homes;
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▪ Investing £100m funding through the Affordable Homes Programme 2011-2015 to bring
problematic empty homes back into use and £50m to tackle the worst concentrations of
empty homes;
▪ Changes to Council Tax exemptions for empty homes; and
▪ Proposing changes to Empty Dwelling Management Orders to target their use on the very
worst long-term empty homes causing a nuisance to the community.
The Government believes that bringing empty homes back into use contributes to wider
Government objectives such as:
▪ creating sustainable communities;
▪ tackling low demand and housing market failure;
▪ tackling anti-social behaviour;
▪ providing affordable, good quality homes; and
▪ Supporting local economies.
The St Helens Empty Homes Strategy will ensure that the Council remains responsive to the
increased strategic importance that empty homes now has at a national level.
Whilst there is no longer a national requirement for local authorities to monitor their performance in
tackling long-term vacant properties through the Best Value Performance Indicator No.64, the
Council continues to monitor the statistics locally for properties brought back into use or demolished
as a result of Council intervention. St Helens works closely with the Liverpool City Region Local
Authorities to ensure monitoring data is comparable, thereby identifying vacancy trends across the
sub region and supporting future service improvement and development.
Empty Properties – The St Helens Context
At any given time there will always be a number of empty homes due to people relocating and
buying and selling their homes. In most cases this will be of a short-term duration. It is widely
accepted that a certain level of vacancies are required if a local housing market is to function
effectively. Government guidance recommends that planning policy should look to accommodate a
vacancy rate of 3% to ensure a healthy housing market.
There are a number of reasons why homes become empty:
▪ a property is inherited and the new owner is unaware of their responsibilities or lacks the
inclination or knowledge to deal with the property;
▪ part way through renovations the finance runs out;
▪ the owners live overseas and use the property only on a temporary basis;
▪ properties have been abandoned, sometimes due to ill-health;
▪ the property is subject to probate or other legal disputes such as marriage breakdown;
▪ a property is purchased as an investment and left empty waiting for a capital gain;
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▪ a landlord is unwilling or unable to let the property either in the private rented sector or in the
social housing sector; and
▪ a local authority and its partners may be taking direct action in acquiring properties for
demolition.
The focus for activity in this Strategy will be to tackle those homes which have been identified as
long-term private vacants. There will usually be homes which are in a poor condition and which
have been vacant for more than 6 months. Understanding the reasons why homes have become
vacant will determine which of the range of different approaches are available is adopted.
Prioritising long-term vacant homes and bringing them back into use can:
▪ improve the look and feel of an area;
▪ reduce the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour;
▪ provide capital and income for the owner;
▪ improve housing market conditions and help regenerate areas; and
▪ increase housing provision and develop the range of housing options available.
St Helens Council has previously reacted to empty property complaints using a series of toolkit
measures as appropriate. In order to remain responsive to emerging trends at a time of housing
market change and as part of a wider preventative strategy, the Council has included for a more
proactive stance against empty properties, with a greater emphasis on working with our partners
and other stakeholders to enable owners to take action at an earlier stage.
It is increasingly important to remain responsive to areas which may exhibit the first signs of
abandonment or lack of investor confidence, in order to try and arrest further decline and feed
information into policy development as appropriate. Examples of this are major research work
carried out in 2009 to identify levels of vacant dwellings within newly built apartments and also a
study of vacancy levels in the Somerset Park area of Parr which has lead to further detailed surveys
and consultation in the form of a Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment of the area in 2010.
Priority For Action
The criteria included within this strategy for the prioritisation of enforcement activity includes for an
analysis of the borough’s long-term empty properties on a ward-by-ward basis and is subject to
annual review. This will enable the Council to identify concentrations of empty properties in
particular wards and to prioritise intervention accordingly.
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The Council’s Approach
A targeted approach will be used to bring properties back into use using a range of potential
solutions appropriate to the property. This will ensure that action is taken based on consistent and
transparent policy criteria and will combine an approach based on incentives and enforcement.
a) Effective Prevention
The Council wishes to prevent properties being left vacant in the long-term and will take
preventative action wherever possible to intervene. Understanding the reasons why a home has
been empty for more than 6 months is the key issue in tackling empty homes. Reasons for vacancy
may vary according to owner and property circumstances and the local authority has a key enabling
role here. The following components make up the preventative toolkit, which will be the first step in
addressing empty properties before any legal action is considered.
Identifying empty properties
Access to accurate information on empty properties is a vital part of effective prevention. The
Council will use primary data such as council tax information and local intelligence to build up a
register of empty properties. This data will be refreshed by local area inspections to take account of
visible empty properties, together with a 6 monthly audit of Council Tax data to ensure that all
properties listed as vacant for more than 2 years are included in the Empty Property Team’s
Prioritisation process (see Appendix 1) in order to maintain a register of active cases. It is important
that this baseline information is as accurate as possible and updated as necessary.
Advice and Assistance
One of the most important measures in ensuring properties do not remain empty is providing good
quality advice and assistance. The Council’s Empty Property Team has responsibility for providing
advice for owners and residents. Leaflets have been produced for owners detailing their rights
and responsibilities for maintenance and repair together with advice for local residents affected by
empty properties in their neighbourhood. There is also advice available on the Council’s Web Site
and direct contact details for the Empty Property Team.
Publicity
Effective publicity of successful interventions raises the profile of Empty Homes prevention work
and sends out a clear signal that the Council will take action when necessary. Information regarding
the Empty Homes prevention service has also been distributed to homes throughout the Borough
alongside annual Council Tax statements. The Council will continue to investigate a variety of
publicity mechanisms and aims to maximise opportunities as they arise.
Partnership Working
The Council recognises that third party organisations and individuals have an increasingly important
role in assisting in the reoccupation of empty properties. In particular, provision of empty property
information to Registered Providers and private developers can reduce potential long-term vacancy
whilst requiring minimal involvement from Council Officers. This, in turn, releases the Empty
Property Team to deal with the most problematic vacant properties. The Council therefore seeks to
maximise and further develop existing partnership working with third parties, providing information
on vacant properties to Registered Providers and encouraging them to seek additional funding by
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way of bids from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and encouraging them to take an
active part in the acquisition, refurbishment and re-occupation of empty properties.
The Council is compiling a list of private developers who have expressed an interest in purchasing
and refurbishing empty properties. Prospective purchasers and owners wishing to sell can therefore
be brought together through the Council’s enabling role.
Housing Options – Choice Based Lettings
The Council operates a choice based letting scheme known as “UnderOneRoof” which advertises
the availability of social rented properties in the Borough. A PILOT scheme was introduced which
allowed private landlords to access this facility. This scheme will give encouragement for
inexperienced / first time landlords by ensuring that prospective tenants are subject to reference
and financial checks. The direct payment of Local Housing Allowance to the landlord is also
supported where appropriate.
Strategic Planning
The Strategic Planning process has a key role to play in preventing an increase in empty homes.
Planning policy needs to take account of changes in the housing market and housing demand in the
Borough. Planning policy should ensure that the new housing type and locations brought forward
are in demand. Ensuring adequate demand should ensure that properties do not remain vacant for
long periods of time and that local housing markets are balanced. The important role of empty
properties in the wider strategic provision of housing is acknowledged by Government and has lead
to the inclusion of empty property performance within the New Homes Bonus grant calculation.
Council Tax
In accordance with Local Government Act 2003, the Council has exercised its discretion with regard
to Council Tax discounts, with no discount available for long term empty properties. This measure is
preventative as it removes a financial incentives which allows properties to remain vacant and
sends a clear message to owners that empty properties are a liability. The Government has now
extended Councils discretion with regard to technical application of Council Tax and this discretion
will now be used by the Council in its treatment of empty homes for Council Tax purposes.
b) Enforcement - Use of Legislative Powers
There are various pieces of legislation, which the Council can use to deal with some of the more
urgent problems, associated with empty properties, for example, the removal of hazards and
security works. The ongoing need to take legal action in cases where owners are not fulfilling their
responsibilities also builds up a case for enforcement action such as Compulsory Purchase Order,
Enforced Sale and Empty Dwelling Management Orders, in order to secure a change in ownership
or management.
In all cases, it is the Council’s policy to make use of informal engagement to encourage owners to
bring empty homes back into use voluntarily before moving on to enforcement and it will be
important to make sure that any enforcement action taken is in line with the Council’s Enforcement
Policy so as to ensure consistency and proportionality.
There is a range of enforcement powers available to the Council and these are set out in Table 7.
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Table 6: Enforcement Powers Available to the Council to Tackle Long-Term Empty Homes
Problem
Legislation
Power Granted
Dangerous or dilapidated
buildings or structures
Building Act 1984 Sections
77 and 78
To require the owner to make
the property safe (Section 77)
or enable the Local Authority
to take emergency action to
make the building safe
(Section 78).
Housing Act 2004 Part 1
Under the Housing Health and
Safety Rating System local
authorities can evaluate the
potential risks to health and
safety arising from deficiencies
within properties and take
appropriate enforcement
action.
Unsecured properties (where it
poses a risk that it may be
entered or suffer vandalism,
arson or similar)
Building Act 1984 Section
78
To allow the Local Authority to
secure the property.
Local Government
(Miscellaneous Provisions)
Act 1976 Section 29
To require the owner to take
steps to secure a property or
allow to board it up in an
emergency.
Blocked or defective drains or
private sewers.
Local Government
(Miscellaneous Provisions)
Act 1976 Section 35
To require the owner to
address obstructed private
sewers.
Building Act 1984 Section
59
To require the owner to
address blocked or defective
drainage.
Public Health Act 1961
Section 17
To require the owner to
address blocked or defective
drainage.
Vermin (where it is either
present or there is a risk of
attracting vermin) that may
detrimentally affect peoples
health.
Public Health Act 1961
Section 34
To require an owner to remove
waste so that vermin is not
attracted to the site.
Prevention of Damage by
Pests Act 1949 Section 4
Public Health Act 1936
Section 83
Environmental Protection
Act 1990 Section 80
Building Act 1984 Section
79
Unsightly land and property
affecting the amenity of an area
Public Health Act 1961
Section 34
To require the owner to
remove waste from the
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Problem
Legislation
Power Granted
property (see above).
Town and Country
Planning Act 1990 Section
215
To require the owner to take
steps to address a property
adversely affecting the
amenity of an area through its
disrepair.
Building Act 1984 Section
79
To require the owner to
address unsightly land or the
external appearance of a
property.
Enforcement Powers
By far the majority of empty homes in the Borough are returned into occupation without recourse to
the most onerous enforcement powers that the Council has at its disposal. However, in cases where
preventative measures do not result in effective engagement with the owner or clear plans to
reoccupy a property, the Council will consider enforcement to secure a change in ownership or
management if necessary. Such action is extremely time-consuming, and may not always be an
appropriate course of action for all problematic long-term vacant properties.
This Strategy introduces a system of prioritisation to ensure that the most serious and problematic
cases receive the most urgent attention.
The following table of criteria will be used to determine the properties to be prioritised for action.
Individual cases will be reassessed in the case of changing circumstances.
Table 7: Assessment Framework for Prioritising Empty Homes
Issue:
0 points
1 point
2points
3 points
Length of time property
has been left empty
Per Year
Vacant
Number of complaints
received about the property
No complaints
1 - 2
3 - 4
5 +
Level of impact on the
Surrounding neighbourhood
No Impact
Low
Moderate
High impact
Property state of repair
No disrepair
Low
Moderate
(Cat 2
hazard)
High
(Cat 1
hazard)
Attracting secondary problems
I.e. fly tipping/anti social behaviour
No associated
problems
Low
Moderate
High
Local housing demand
Low
-
-
High
Contribution to regeneration – Areas
experiencing high deprivation levels.
-
-
-
High
Empty Property High Incidence Ward
Area
Not in Priority
ward
-
-
In Priority
ward
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Information affecting the prioritisation of empty property action (i.e. Local Housing Demand and
Priority Ward Area) will be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that intervention remains
responsive to changing needs. (See appendix 1 for current prioritisation criteria)
Enforced Sale Procedure
Local authorities have the statutory power to force the sale of a property through the Law of
Property Act 1925 s103. Where local authorities have carried out work in default under some of the
above legislation and are unable to recover the debt, it is possible under this legislation to register a
charge on the property. This recharge can then be recovered by way of an enforced sale. The
property then passes onto a new owner who would hopefully complete any necessary
refurbishment and thereby bring the property back into use.
Empty Dwellings Management Orders (EDMO)
Introduced by the Housing Act 2004 and enacted in 2006, Empty Dwelling Management Orders
(EDMO) provide a relatively new tool for local authorities to tackle empty homes. The EDMO is a
mechanism by which local authorities can secure occupation of a long-term empty property and
take over management control of the dwelling. Two forms of EDMO exist, an interim EDMO and a
final EDMO. An Interim EDMO Order should be considered as the final opportunity to find a
voluntary solution with the owners to bring the property back into use. In order to obtain an Interim
EDMO, an application must be made to the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS). To
obtain an Interim EDMO the Residential Property Tribunal Service must be satisfied that:
a) the property is not exempt according to the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA);
b) that the owner has been notified that the Council is going to apply for an EDMO;
c) that the Council attempted to ascertain what steps the owner is taking to bring the property
back into use (and the details of the action taken);
d) the property must have been empty for at least 6 months;
e) that by generating the Order, there is a reasonable prospect of the property being brought
back into use.
If these matters are satisfied, the Residential Property Tribunal Service will then balance the rights
of the owner against those of the wider community in making their decision.
This device provides an alternative enforcement action and is subject to approval of a Residential
Property Tribunal. The resource implications for the making of an EDMO are quite considerable
and very recent Government proposals will attach more stringent conditions as to the suitability of a
property for EDMO. However the Council will look to include this measure as a part of the
enforcement toolkit and would propose to make use of a local Registered Provider to act as
managing agent. It is likely that properties which only require relatively low levels of refurbishment
work would be suitable for this procedure so as to enable the monies to be recovered from the
rental income. The option of voluntary private sector leasing currently being developed may
encourage more proactive involvement from owners so as to negate the need for EDMO.
Conversely, the case for EDMO is strengthened if owners have access to a voluntary scheme but
still refuse to take measures which would lead to the reoccupation of their property.
Compulsory Purchase Orders
Compulsory Purchase Order is the mechanism by which a property can be purchased without the
voluntary agreement of the owner if the circumstances meet set criteria through s17 of the Housing
Act 1985. Applications for CPO of individual properties can be made if the property is required to
meet local housing needs, if it has a detrimental effect on the neighbourhood or if it is part of a wider
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clearance/redevelopment programme. The onus is on the local authority to show that all other
available methods of redress have been exhausted before an application can be made to the
Secretary of State. The timescales involved in administering a CPO can be extensive and it is
therefore seen as a measure of last resort. In St Helens, five successful CPOs have recently been
made with several more now being considered, and the Council will continue to consider this
measure where appropriate. Under the CPO process the Council will seek to immediately transfer
the property to a third party (Housing Association or private developer) subject to a legally binding
agreement for the completion of any required refurbishment together with an undertaking to ensure
that the property is used to meet local housing needs.
Monitoring and Review
This strategy is operational from 2013 to 2015 but will be reviewed annually and updated as
necessary to ensure it remains responsive to local and national issues, changes in legislation/
guidance and operational requirements. The prioritisation criteria will be subject to ongoing review
during 2013 to ensure transparency and consistency of application. The Empty Property Team
caseloads will be subject to 6 monthly management review and any cases requiring final
intervention in the form of Compulsory Purchase, Enforced Sale or Empty Dwelling Management
Order, will be subject to the Executive Decision of the Director, People’s Services
Contact Information
Should you have any comments about this strategy or require any further information on empty
property issues, please contact the Empty Property Officer at:
St Helens Council
Ground Floor Town Hall
Victoria Square
St Helens
Merseyside
WA10 1HP
Tel: 01744 676211 / 673473
Email : [email protected].uk
Empty properties can also be reported via the Council website at www.sthelens.gov.uk using the
online Vacant Property Service Request form.
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Appendices
1. Strategic Assessment Criteria and Ward Analysis
2. Intervention Process Map
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Appendix 1
Strategic Assessment Criteria
Strategic Assessment
Criteria
How Assessed
Review
High Local Housing Demand
(Wards) - 2015:
Billinge and Seneley Green
Town Centre
Haydock
Windle
Rainford
Review of demand through
analysis of Choice Based
Lettings Scheme
Annual Review/update as
necessary
Helena Partnerships
Housing Strategy Officer
Contribution to Regeneration
Wards experiencing high
deprivation level:
Town Centre Ward
Parr Ward
High incidence of deprivation.
Identified via info4Sthelens
(Dec 2016)
Annual
Empty Property High Incidence
Ward Areas (LTV > 2.5%) -
2015:
Town Centre Ward
Annual ward analysis of long-
term vacant properties
Annual review of Council Tax
data
Empty Property Assistant
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Address: 26 Abberley Close, Town Centre, St Helens WA10 2AZ
Date
25/7/11
0 points
1 point
2 points
3 points
Score
Score
Score
Score
Score
Length of time property has been
left empty
17 years
17
Number of complaints received
about the property
No
complaints
1-2
3-4
5+
3
Level of impact on the
surrounding neighbourhood
No impact
Low
Moderate
High Impact
3
Property state of repair
No disrepair
Low
Moderate
(Cat 2
hazard)
High
(Cat 1
hazard)
2
Attracting secondary problems i.e.
fly tipping, anti-social behaviour
No
associated
problems
Low
Moderate
High
3
Total
28
Local housing demand
Low
-
-
High
3
Contribution to regeneration (High
Deprevation areas of Parr, Town
Centre)
-
-
-
High
3
Empty Property High Incidence
Ward Area
Not in Priority
Ward
-
-
In Priority
Ward
3
Total
9
Overall Total
37
Comments: Several attempts to track down and communicate with owner failed. Property causing numerous problems and is located within LIP priority area with
high local housing demand - final option was CPO (now complete and sold at auction 14/7/11).
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Ward Analysis - Long Term Empty Homes – October 2016
Number of empty homes (6 months or more) by Ward
Ward
Vacant 6 - 12 mnths
Vacant 1yr - 2 yrs
Vacant 2 yrs - 5 yrs
Vacant 5 yrs +
Total Vacant
Total
Dwellings
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
Billinge and Seneley Green
19
0.40
8
0.17
11
0.23
8
0.17
46
0.98
4707
Blackbrook
20
0.44
14
0.31
11
0.24
6
0.13
51
1.12
4550
Bold
16
0.36
21
0.47
16
0.36
6
0.13
59
1.31
4496
Earlestown
31
0.59
20
0.38
17
0.32
7
0.13
75
1.4
5244
Eccleston
35
0.69
31
0.61
24
0.47
4
0.08
94
1.86
5055
Haydock
30
0.64
19
0.40
10
0.21
8
0.17
67
1.42
4705
Moss Bank
23
0.46
29
0.58
6
0.12
9
0.18
67
1.33
5027
Newton
23
0.42
19
0.35
15
0.28
4
0.07
61
1.12
5449
Parr
36
0.63
23
0.40
20
0.35
9
0.16
88
1.53
5745
Rainford
19
0.51
15
0.40
11
0.29
7
0.19
52
1.40
3707
Rainhill
23
0.46
16
0.32
14
0.28
6
0.12
59
1.19
4951
Sutton
34
0.63
27
0.50
25
0.46
13
0.24
99
1.83
5416
Thatto Heath
34
0.57
33
0.55
33
0.55
2
0.03
102
1.71
5951
Town Centre
44
0.72
55
0.90
43
0.70
16
0.26
158
2.59
6103
West Park
38
0.67
41
0.72
21
0.37
11
0.19
111
1.95
5694
Windle
30
0.64
23
0.49
10
0.21
11
0.23
74
1.57
4705
TOTAL
536
0.65
395
0.48
426
0.52
201
0.24
1263
1.54
82087
18
Appendix 2 - Process Diagram
Web Site Contact
Centre
Partner
Actions
Council Tax 2
yrs +
Local
Intelligence
Nuisance
Issues
MP/Cllr
Complaints
Public
Complaints
Neighbourhood
Appraisal
Property Identified
Visit/Photo
Flare Record
Entered
Council Tax
Land Registry
Land Charge
No Owner
Owner
Identified
Private
Agencies
Public
Notice
Information given to
Registered Providers
regarding PSL/IFR
schemes
No Reply
1st letter &
questionnaire
Update
letter
Section 16 Notice
Working Group
Apply Scoring Criteria
CPO
Reply
Reply within
28 days
Sold
Reply within 28 days
No
Yes
No
Dialogue
undertaken
Yes
Let via Agent
EDMO
Sold
Enforced Sale
Property Demolished
Demolition Order
Unsatisfactory
Progress
Satisfactory
Progress
Back into use without
enforcement
