Head Office: Northern Office:

The Empty Homes Agency The Empty Homes Agency

195-197 Victoria Street PO Box 3609
London Barnsley
SW1E 5NE S75 1WW
Phone: 020 7828 6288 Phone/Fax: 01226 390 093
Fax: 020 7828 7006 Mobile: 07719 798 033
Email: info@emptyhomes.com
Web: www.emptyhomes.com

Press Release 18th October 2006

Government Backpedals on Empty Homes

The Empty Homes Agency has today called on the government to properly
reward councils for bringing empty homes back into use.

In its first major policy decision on empty homes since the Barker review, the
government has backtracked on assurances to bring more empty homes into
use to meet housing need. The consequences could mean homes stay empty
while the government rewards councils for giving the go ahead for new
housebuilding.

The government is considering changes to the housing and planning delivery

grant system that would see it give a grant to a local authority every time it
granted planning permission for a new house to be built. But there are no
proposals to reward councils for brining empty homes back into use

“The government appears to be backpedaling out of assurances it made last

year.” Says David Ireland Policy advisor to the Empty Homes Agency “We
can understand why the government wants to encourage more housebuilding.
But if implemented these proposals will do so at the expense of bringing
empty homes back into use. We fully supported the government’s response to
the Barker review but it appears that they have stumbled at the first policy
hurdle on empty homes they have encountered.”

There are 290,000 long-term empty homes in England. Back in December

2005, responding to the Barker review, the government stated that housing
need should not only be met by building new houses but by bringing empty
homes into use. It talked about a concerted effort to bring more long-term
empty homes back into use, and promised to consult on increased targets.

The Empty Homes agency is calling on the government to:

• Reward local authorities for proactively facilitating bringing long term

empty homes through the planning reward grant system.
• To develop a more demanding target for bringing long-term empty
homes back into use: a 50% reduction in the number of homes empty
for more than 6 months by 2010 (in practice reducing the long-term
number to 150,000).
 Head Office: Northern Office:
The Empty Homes Agency The Empty Homes Agency
195-197 Victoria Street PO Box 3609
London Barnsley
SW1E 5NE S75 1WW
Phone: 020 7828 6288 Phone/Fax: 01226 390 093
Fax: 020 7828 7006 Mobile: 07719 798 033
Email: info@emptyhomes.com
Web: www.emptyhomes.com

• To include publicly owned empty homes in the national target as well

as private stock.
• To net-off all long-term empty homes brought back into use against the
targets for new build houses.

Notes for Editors:

1. There are currently 680,412 empty homes in England of which 290,862 have been
empty for more than 6 months.

2. The government has recently consulted on changes to the Housing and planning
Delivery Grant system. The consultation period closes on 17 October

3. The government response to the Barker review of Housing supply included three
paragraphs outlining it’s position on empty homes 2.21 –2.23

4. For further information please contact the Empty Homes Agency on 020 7828 6288.