The government has decided to increase the number of flats that can be created above some empty high-street premises without planning permission from one to two. In the government's response to the Mary Portas Review of the high street Grant Shapps…
George Clarke, whose Channel 4 programme The Great British Property Scandal made such an impact, has now been appointed as Independent Empty Homes Adviser to the government, a new role that seems to have been created for him. According to the CLG website, his…
A recent email exchange between CLG, the Empty Homes Network and self-help-housing.org has clarified that local authorities do not have to use the pro forma supplied on the Tribal site if they are providing letters of support for Community Grants Programme…
DCLG has scrapped the collection of Neighbourhood Statistics on empty homes. The announcement was made in March n the Statistics Plan which you can reach from here. This is disappointing news. The most disappointing aspect is that these statistics were…
As the home to one of the most prestigious universities in the world Cambridge has a reputation for academic excellence. However this does not seem to extend all the way into the City Council's decision-making processes, where a refresher course in maths…
Listed Building Alterations In an unexpected move to plug so-called VAT loopholes and inconsistencies, the Chancellor has announced that alterations to listed buildings will no longer be zero-rated for VAT. Previously, any work that required Listed Building…
With Andrew Stunell now a confirmed speaker, a more detailed Event Programme has been published for the National Empty Homes Conference taking place in Birmingham on Tuesday May 29th. Some details are still awaited but the confirmed speakers already offer a…
We're pleased to announce that Andrew Stunell has agreed to speak at our National Empty Homes Conference on 29th May in Birmngham. As the Minister with immediate responsibility for the empty homes agenda, Andrew has clearly moved the government response…
The Empty Homes Network website has been revamped yet again, with some important new features. New bookmark feature There's lots of content on the site and it's growing all the time. The bookmarks feature lets you, er... bookmark particular pieces…
The documentation for the Community Grants Programme has been updated. Interested parties are advised to download the documents afresh. Key updates include the following:a template for the letter of support from local authorities has been providedthe scoring…
The draft programme for the 2012 National Empty HOmes Conference is now available, with most speakers already confirmed. The Conference, to be held in Brimingham on Tuesday, May 29th, features an impressive range of material and speakers from statutory,…
Camilla Sheldon of CLG has now responded to letters from the Empty Homes Network about "revolving funds" and the treatment of HMOs for value-for-money purposes. On the revolving funds, the CLG letter makes clear that the only option would be if the…
The government's £50million programme for Clusters of Empties has now been launched with a very tight deadline for Expressions of Interest of 12pm (which we take to be noon) on Monday 12th March. The Homes and Communities Agency is managing the bidding…
This link takes you to an advertorial that involves a case as complicated as a mediaeval mousetrap. http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/reading/articles/2012/02/12/57131-squatter-scandalFor me, it highlights the importance of writing a Will and of…
