Homes emptier for longer

Adam Hewitt • Published 11 Mar 2010 15:00 0 Comments

THE recession has slowed down efforts to tackle Reading's glut of empty homes.

Although Reading Borough Council's own figures show 28 fewer empty homes last month compared with in October last year - 489 down from 517 - many homes are being left empty for longer.

February's figure was also an increase on 468 empty homes in October 2008, seven months after Reading passed a strategy aimed at dealing with the blight.

Empty homes attract squatters and drug dealers and can drag down the appearance of whole streets. The council's private sector housing initiatives officer, Nick Pritchard-Gordon, says in his report: "The continued increase in length of time that homes are left empty is most likely due to economic circumstances of owners and the state of the housing market.

"It it clear that economic circumstances will continue to affect the Reading housing market and the make up of local empty housing stock for several years to come."

Of the top 30 empty homes being tackled by Reading Borough Council, only five are rated as having "good prospects" of soon being re-

occupied. Another 11 are "stalled" or "stalling" - reasons given include "complex legal matters", "lack of money, resents council intrusion", "cannot be bothered", "no contact with owner" and "squat".

Although empty home numbers have dropped or stayed static in 12 of Reading's 16 wards, there have been large increases in Park and Redlands ward in east Reading.

Reading's housing scrutiny panel will hear more about progress made on tackling empty homes at its meeting tonight (Thursday) at 6.30pm at the Civic Centre.

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