May

2006
THE EMPTY HOMES AGENCY
Monthly News Bulletin

Empty Homes Agency, 195 – 197 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 5NE
Tel: 020 7828 6288 Email: shashi@emptyhomes.com
Statements in this newsletter are for guidance only and the Empty Homes Agency will not accept
liability for losses resulting from reliance on them. Professional advice should always be obtained.
Table of Contents

1 A Word….
2 A Crock of Gold at the End of the Rainbow
3 DIY Empty Homes
4 Key Worker Homes Lying Empty
5 London Week Of Action 2006 - 5th - 9th June 2006
6 Helping Communities Tackle Empty Homes Blight - TPAS
7
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9 Events
10 Resources
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1
A Word…
Jonathan Ellis, Chief Executive
Dear All,

On 18th April I wandered into work after the Easter break and was
greeted by a colleague waving a copy of that day’s Guardian newspaper
– “have you seen this,” he asked me?

What he was pointing at was contained at the back of the G2 section,

where each week the paper highlights a campaign of the week. And in
Easter week we were the Guardian’s campaign of the week!

What followed was a short but tightly argued case supporting our
campaigning work on empty homes. It pointed to the social and
environmental waste of empty homes. Sometimes when you work on an
issue day in day out, you begin just to accept what you are dealing with
– but it was great to see our core message presented so clearly in a
national newspaper.

As we have said time and time again empty homes are not the whole
answer to the current housing crisis, but it is madness to ignore the
potential of existing homes in our communities. Before we do anything
we need to ensure that we are bringing the maximum number of empty
homes back into use to meet housing need. And surely being the fifth

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largest economy in the world we could be doing more as a nation to

bring empty homes back into use? If you share our view that a home is
a human right, then such wasted homes are an affront to our collective
human rights!

Ever keen to do more to encourage the re-use of empty homes, we are

currently setting up a schedule of visits to regional housing boards to
help them as they develop their regional housing plans to see where the
potential of empty homes fits in. We have been fired up by the potential
of regional housing boards by our work with Government Office for
Eastern England, and we are keen to encourage more boards to follow
this excellent lead. Hopefully you will hear more from us about the
outcome of these visits.

And finally council tax. You may remember last year we pushed hard for
councils to be able to keep the additional income raised by the abolition
of the council tax discount for empty homes. We argued that this money
should be kept by councils and used to fund empty property work.

We feel that the Government has missed a trick with this issue. As
Empty Dwelling Management Orders are poised to become operational,
now would be a great time for the Government to allow councils to keep
this additional income to fund their work using EDMOs. But it is not too
late – we do hope that the Government can see sense and allow
councils freedom to keep this money and use it as a catalyst for more
empty homes work. Watch this space!

With all best wishes

Jonathan Ellis
Chief Executive
Empty Homes Agency
Tel: 020 7963 6883
Email: jonathan.ellis@emptyhomes.com

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A Crock of Gold at the

End of the Rainbow

Getting to the day when local authorities can finally use empty Dwellings
Management Orders has been a bit like chasing the end of a rainbow.
Whenever you think you’ve got there it magically jumps ahead of you again.
The Housing Act was given Royal assent back in November 2004, but the
powers were only useable once a commencement order had been passed.
This was due in autumn 2005, but slipped into 2006. When the regulations and
commencement order finally arrived on April 6. It enabled the parts of the act
relating to EDMOs. Well nearly all of them - it turns out that one section
(section 134) was not enabled. This section gives Residential Property
Tribunals the power to issue interim EDMOs. Without it none of the rest of the
EDMO powers are useable. Section 134 it turns out is just delayed a bit and
will be enabled on July 6. When this happens we will finally be there.

What then? Well local authorities won’t be on their own - a series of events
and publications are planned for early July.

Firstly the ODPM will be publishing a technical guidance note offering

interpretation of the act and the regulations.

Secondly the Empty Homes Agency and IDE&A will be publishing a guidance
booklet on a strategic approach to empty homes showing where EDMOs fit
within the large range of methods of getting empty homes back into use

And thirdly there will be a series of regional seminars with free places for local
authorities offering advice and good practice.

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For further details please contact:

David Ireland
Empty Homes Agency
195-197 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 5NE
T: 020 7963 6884
E: david.ireland@emptyhomes.com

DIY Empty Homes

Big organisations have a tendency to believe that only they can solve
the housing crisis. Government thinks this, Regional government thinks,
local authorities think this, big house builders think this, big housing
associations think this. Of course they all play a very important role but
we forget at our peril that by far the most influential player isn’t any of
these, it’s the house-buying public. They buy millions of houses every
year, they sell millions of houses every year and they sit on wealth that

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only be measured in trillions of pounds. Even small changes in their

buying trends and attitudes have huge impacts on housing demand.
With that in mind this survey reported in the Telegraph last week was
highly significant.

<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?
xml=/news/2006/04/14/nhomes14.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/04/14/ixh
ome.html>

The survey found that:

“41 per cent of the population would consider buying a property that
required major work” Challenging the assumption that most people only
want a squeaky new house. Of course people have different views of
what amounts to major work, but even here the survey suggests that the
public is more prepared to take on a wreck than we give them credit for:
“75 per cent of those willing to buy a run-down home happy to buy a
house with no central heating. Over half would consider doing extensive
replastering, and a quarter would take on a home with damp problems.”
Given that most empty homes require a fair amount of work the survey
supports what we have been saying for a couple of years. The property
buying public has a huge part to play in bringing empty homes back into
use. They have the money to buy; they are willing to do the work. They
just need some help in finding suitable properties and persuading the
owner to sell. If the big organisations really want to make an impact on
empty homes they could do worse than help house buyers with these
two problems

If you have something to say, want to respond or want to see more of

the issues raised here please log on to our blog
<http://unlockingthepotential.blogspot.com/2006/04/diy-empty-
homes.html>

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For further details please contact:
David Ireland
Empty Homes Agency
195-197 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 5NE
T: 020 7963 6884
E: david.ireland@emptyhomes.com

Key Worker Homes

Lying Empty

Stories about key worker homes lying empty have been rumbling on in the
local press for a few months now. This from Milton Keynes earlier this week
talks about a key worker development where only 20 of the 100 homes are
occupied.

<http://www.miltonkeynestoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?
SectionID=415&ArticleID=1449100>

Deputy leader of Milton Keynes Council Labour group Kevin Wilson put it like
this: "It is, frankly, frightening in a city where there is so much housing need to
see so many places lying empty."

Key Worker Living was launched in March 2004 replacing the old Starter
Homes Initiative. The programme was designed to help up to 12,000 key
workers into home ownership over two years, and to keep key workers in the
job that they have trained for. Housing Associations have been encouraged to
develop ear-marked key worker developments. And there may lie the problem.
This report from the current edition of Personnel Today reports a Liberal
Democrat view that key workers do not want to live in public sector ghettos.

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<http://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2006/04/10/34840/Key+workers
+shun+low+cost+homes.htm>

Nobody denies that there is a problem. Households living off public sector
salaries can't afford market prices for housing. But unlike the homeless who
live where they are put by councils and housing associations, key workers can
exercise choice. If they don't like what they are offered they won't live there.

The government plays down the problem

<http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1161724>

But what ever the rights and wrongs these sorts of stories do nothing to
convince the public that millions of new houses are needed. And perhaps
augur badly for what might happen if future new developments are badly
planned. Just because there is housing need it doesn't follow that people will
live anywhere. Badly planned houses become empty houses.

If you have something to say, want to respond or want to see more of the
issues raised here please log on to our blog:

<http://unlockingthepotential.blogspot.com/2006/04/key-worker-homes-
lying-empty.html>

For further details please contact:

David Ireland
Empty Homes Agency
195-197 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 5NE
T: 020 7963 6884
E: david.Ireland@emptyhomes.com

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5
London Week Of Action 2006 -
5th - 9th June 2006
This years London Week of Action on Empty Property is
taking place 5-9June (again linked with London
Sustainability Weeks, www.lsw2006.org)

For those unfamiliar with London Week, this is a special week

dedicated to opening up more homes, raising awareness of
empty homes and is one important element of our continued
campaign to combat empty and wasted property in the capital.

We will be stepping up our efforts this week as part of a

Londonwide challenge to fill up the empty properties and we
want everyone in LEPOF to take part. Boroughs could relaunch
their Empty Property Strategy, publicize a recently completed
scheme or arrange some other publicity stunt.

We are about to embark on a major new initiative at the Empty

Homes Agency, linking empty property work with the green
construction sector and increasing London's capacity for
environmentally sustainable building refurbishment.We will be
launching this new initiative Recycling London's Empty Homes
during London week.

Of course this isn't all we are doing at the Empty Homes

Agency during the week. We hope to work with lots of you to
make sure that more properties are returned to use. For a
taste of what London Week is all about, see what has
happened in previous year below.

Who is going to be first to organise a big event? Please keep us

informed about your plans and how we can link with you!

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For further details please contact:

Desmond Kilroy
Empty Homes Agency
195-197 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 5NE
T: 020 7963 6886/7
E: desmond.kilroy@emptyhomes.com

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HELPING COMMUNITIES
TACKLE EMPTY HOMES
BLIGHT
New TCPA Housing Market Renewal Policy
Statement
The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) today called on
Government to spread best practice to help communities overcome the blight
of abandoned housing .

While the Association supports the Government's investment programme

aimed at reviving collapsed housing markets in the North and Midlands, a new
policy statement published today highlights room for improvement in some
areas.

The housing market renewal programme, which aims to secure a more even
spread of economic activity and prosperity across England, has been criticised
for relying too much on demolition, undervaluing the heritage of older
buildings, and a lack of community consultation.

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The TCPA supports the Government's aim to revitalise areas in decline, but
cautions that evidence so far shows communities need to feel more involved in
the process. The Association recommends that in order to ensure people have
their say, and it is heeded, that community consultation and participation
should be a more stringent funding condition.

The Association also recommends the programme should be flexible enough

to respond to changing circumstances, should prioritise refurbishment where
possible, and that compensation should be adequate to ensure residents are
not priced out of their local neighbourhood.

In addition, no building should be considered for demolition without a careful

refurbishment appraisal first. Demolition should then only be considered if local
circumstances and thorough public consultation show it is both necessary and
supported.

TCPA Vice-Chair Tony Fyson said

"The Association is in favour of renewing housing markets in areas of low

demand and supports the government in establishing a pathfinder programme.
It also recognises that practice varies from area to area and with government
encouragement is evolving positively.

"It is now appropriate to address the areas of concern identified in our

statement by publishing good practice guidance. We also think that the
pathfinder areas have not yet succeeded in explaining their work through the
media both nationally and to the communities they serve. We recommend a
reappraisal of publicity and information programmes relating to the HMR
areas."

The TCPA does not accept the argument from some quarters that low demand
for housing in parts of the Midlands and North would justify refusing to meet
the strong demand for more homes in the South. A more even distribution of
population across England is highly desirable but cannot be achieved quickly
or by manipulation of the housing market. It is a function of patterns of job
creation and investment.

The TCPA has addressed the need to reinforce strategic national and regional
planning through its forthcoming report Connecting England – a Framework for
Regional Developmen t to be launched at a national TCPA conference on
Tuesday 9 May 2006.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) is an

independent charity working to improve the art and science of town and
country planning. The TCPA puts social justice and the environment at
the heart of policy debate and inspires government, industry and
campaigners to take a fresh perspective on major issues, including
planning policy, housing, regeneration and climate change. Join the
TCPA at http://www.tcpa.org.uk/ Our objectives are to:

• Secure a decent, well designed home for everyone, in a human-scale

environment combining the best features of town and country
• Empower people and communities to influence decisions that affect
them
• Improve the planning system in accordance with the principles of
sustainable development

2. TCPA CONFERENCE: CONNECTING ENGLAND: Planning &

Funding Infrastructure Tuesday 9th May 2006, Birmingham Council
House Launching the major new Hetherington Commission report
"Connecting England A Framework for Regional Development" this
national conference will make a vital contribution to the current debate
on how to fund infrastructure.

• Mapping out regional and local devolution

• Tackling the north/south divide
• Joining up the growth agenda in the south with the Northern Way, the
Solent Gateway and the Black Country Study
• Responding creatively to environmental pressures
• Supporting better regional development for UK plc
• Triggering urban renaissance through big projects
• Skills and education as a catalyst
• Paying for our priorities – funding high quality infrastructure

Transport, schools and healthcare facilities are needed in many of our growing
communities but will the Government's Planning Gain Supplement rise to the
challenge? How would a strategic, Milton Keynes style, section 106
agreement help in the meantime? And will communities accept the need for
development even if the infrastructure costs are met? Join the debate.

Contact nancy@tcpa.org.uk www.tcpa.org.uk/events.asp

Media contact: Kirsten Gogan 020 7930 8903 / 07952 545 355

For further Information from the Empty Homes Agency please contact:
John Earnshaw

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7
Low Demand Project Manager
Empty Homes Agency
T: 01226 390093
E: john.earnshaw@emptyhomes.com

Events
“From rough sleeping to affordable homes for all: what should churches be
doing?” – 23rd May 2006

For more details please click on the link below:

http://www.emptyhomes.com/publicrelations/events.htm

London Week Of Action – Dates: 5th – 9th June 2006

For more information click on the link below:

http://www.emptyhomes.com/publicrelations/lwoa.htm

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8
National Week Of Action - Dates: 23rd – 27th October 2006

For more information click on the link below:

http://www.emptyhomes.com/publicrelations/nwoa.htm

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
For more info please look at our website:
http://www.emptyhomes.com/eventspages/events.htm

Resources
To help you bring those empties back into use,
here are some links to some helpful resources:

Jobs:

Empty Property Enforcement Officer, (North London sub-region)

£32,961 - £35,592 ,two-year fixed-term contract or possible secondment

For more details please click here

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News:

Empty Homes: Campaign Of The Week

For more details please click here

Article:

Finding Empty Homes To Buy

For more details please click here

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