The government is consulting on extending the Primary Authority scheme to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. Under the Primary Authority scheme an organisation or individual that works across a number of authorities can select a Primary Authority as…
Although it has been said by Don Foster that there is no predetermined split of the £300million additional funding for empty homes and affordable housing announced in the Autumn Statement, this has not prevented the Treasury from publishing indicative…
The National Audit Office has a current project to look into the New Homes Bonus. Their website states: This study examines the design of the scheme, and assesses early indicators of its impact. EHN has contacted the NAO and pointed out that its members have…
An article on the Planning magazine website reports the introduction of a new clause into the Growth and Infrastructure Bill which allows for a "Prior Approval" process to be adopted by local authorities in some (unspecified) cases. This is…
Graham Jones, Labour MP for Haslingden and Hyndburn and David Ireland of the Empty Homes Agency have engaged in an interesting debate about demolitions in Jones's blog. Jones makes a robust defence of the need for demolitions in his constituency while…
The London Rebuilding Society has launched a new scheme to help bring empty homes in London back into use, drawing on their experience with Home Improvement projects. Few details of the scheme are available on their website but contact details are provided…
This is an unusual news story. The "news" is your contributions about refused EDMO applications. We want a place where people that have been involved with EDMOs that have been refused by an RPT can register this so that others can learn from the…
George Clarke has now delivered what he calls a "manifesto for change" to the government in his role as Empty Homes Adviser. Claiming this as "a momentous day", George's website records that "For months now George has been…
The government has listened to the representations made by the Empty Homes Network and other organisations and decided that homes that are "genuinely for sale or rent" should not be included in the exceptions from the Empty Homes Premium. The Empty…
Don Foster made quite a big point about commercial to residential conversions in his speech to the Empty Homes Conference last Monday (26th November). He indicated that priority access to new funding would be given to the Portas Pilot areas. In addition,…
CLG has confirmed that the bidding guidelines for a share of the £300million boost to affordable housing and empty homes will be published shortly and that the bidding will not close until late March. An email from Sally Turner sent to EHN today states:…
Here is the text of Don Foster's speech to the Empty Homes Conference on Monday 26th in London (as drafted, not delivered).In 1990, Rachel Whiteread won international recognition for her cast of an empty room. It was a striking piece. Conveying the…
The government has published its response to the consultation on what should happen to empty homes premium receipts. They have confirmed that they will stick with their original proposals to distrubute the money to precepting authorities such as Fire and…
On the day that the government's statutory instrument to make it harder for local authorities to obtain Empty Dwelling Management Orders came into force, it was reported that South Tyneside Council had secured 11 EDMOs at a single hearing of the…
