Press Release

Mayor announces £60m to tackle empty homes
8-7-2008   353

A £60million ‘rescue’ package to tackle the capital’s empty homes problem was announced today by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to help deliver his manifesto commitment to reduce long-term empty homes to 1% of London’s total housing stock.

The funding will focus on bringing long term abandoned properties, derelict buildings and listed buildings at risk back into residential use to provide much-needed affordable homes. In doing so it will benefit neighbourhoods by tackling properties that have become an eyesore and a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

An audit of London’s dilapidated and abandoned buildings will also be commissioned to draw attention to the worst properties and encourage action to be taken against them. 

The Mayor made the announcement as he attended the launch of English Heritage’s  ‘Heritage at Risk’ register. The register, that details listed buildings at risk of being lost through neglect, was welcomed by the Mayor as a tool for identifying opportunities to use empty homes funding to protect London’s rich heritage.

Mayor Boris Johnson said:

“It is an absurdity that so many properties are empty in London when families are languishing on council housing waiting lists desperately hoping for a home. Empty properties cannot be left to rot and blight local neighbourhoods.  I am determined to bring back many more into use to provide the affordable homes Londoners need, particularly if this can also help protect London's rich architectural heritage.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. In his election manifesto the Mayor pledged to tackle London’s empty homes problem.  His commitments included investing £60 million to bring empty homes back into use, an audit of abandoned homes as the first step to regeneration, and the targeting of long term empty homes.

2. There are 84,000 empty homes in London.  Of these 67,400 are privately owned, with the remainder in public ownership including approximately 10,000 council owned empty homes.

3. The Targeted Funding Stream is part of the Regional Housing Pot for which the Mayor is responsible.  It comprises a range of programmes and amounts to £331 million for 2008 – 2011.  It is aimed at Local Authorities and housing providers who are able to bid for the resources in each programme to meet their local need.  The Deadline for bids to the Targeted Funding Stream is 31 July 2008.  The prospectus is available at http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/housing/docs/fund_stream_prospectus.pdf

4. Heritage at Risk, is an annually published register that brings together information on all Grade I and II* listed buildings, and ancient monuments, known to English Heritage to be ‘at risk' through neglect and decay, or vulnerable to becoming so.

5. The abandoned homes audit will be commissioned by the Greater London Authority later this year, and will identify derelict properties.  It will provide a resource for regeneration work, action to tackle empty properties and a basis from which performance can be monitored.

6. Owners who are interested in bringing their empty property back into use should initially contact their local authority. They should also seek the advice of their local authority Conservation Officer at the earliest opportunity to find out how their property could be restored.  Local authorities and housing associations who wish to bid to the Targeted Funding Stream should contact the London Development Agency.  English Heritage will usually become involved in helping with proposals for major changes to Grade I and II* buildings and large-scale schemes.

7. London entries on the Heritage at Risk register can be viewed at www.english-heritage.org.uk/HAR

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