Monday 24 May 2010

Empty homes and the homeless

What can be done about the 4,000 empty homes in Cornwall? Good luck to those Cornwall councillors on the communities scrutiny committee who will tomorrow try to answer this question.

The figures are truly shocking: 277 properties empty for up to six months, 311 "category A" (ie purpose-built and subject to restricted occupancy) second homes, 13,398 "category B" (no restrictions) second homes, 4,121 long-term empty.

A Cornwall Council survey has found that one in ten of all homes in Cornwall is a second home. When officials contacted the owners, 45% claimed the properties were occupied, 51% said they were for sale. Of those property that remain empty, more than 70% of owners said they planned to bring the property into use - but 16% said they had no such intention.

At the same time, Cornwall has between 10,000 and 18,000 (depending on whether you look at the new council register or the old district councils' registers) waiting for a home.

The powers available to the council, potentially, extend as far as compulsory purchase although this would require the sort of money and political will which might be in short supply.

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