Brighton home lies empty for 23 years

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities, Local Government

A council is still struggling to bring a Brighton home that has been empty since 1979 back into use.

24dash covered the story of the home last October when it was revealed that Brighton & Hove City Council was pushing for a compulsory purchase order. However, a year later it still remains empty.

The council maintains that the return to use of the three-bedroom Victorian property remains a priority and that talks are ongoing with its private owners.

The number of long term empty properties in the city has reduced from 965 to 818 in the last 12 months.  There are currently 15,752 people on the council's housing waiting list.

In a statement, a council spokesperson said: "The importance of returning empty property to use is increasingly recognised by the government, but has always been valued in Brighton & Hove which has had an active strategy for more than twelve years.

"The council’s record in this was recognised by funding awarded through the government’s Empty Homes Funding programme – where the council has been awarded an allocation to provide loan funding for improvements to properties which the council will then lease. The council also supported a successful bid from local community groups and housing co-ops through the community programme of this funding, and the empty property team are working closely with them to identify properties for this.

"Empty properties returned to use are also now recognised as an increase in housing supply through the Government’s New Homes Bonus programme.”