For more than a decade, three adjacent village homes located in Swanley stood empty causing problems for neighbours. However, following intervention from Sevenoaks District Council and No Use Empty the properties have been transformed beyond recognition.
As with many long term empty properties, the homes attracted vermin and were a target for fly-tippers and vandals. Regrettably the owner refused to co-operate with the Council to improve and, as a last resort, it served an enforcement notice.
The notice required the owner to repair or demolish the properties otherwise the Council would carry out the works and recover the costs. The action prompted the owner to sell the homes to Mr&Mrs Denman, who opted to work with the Council.
As well as advice and support through the planning process, the Council and No Use Empty provided financial loans to the value of £105,000 on condition that the properties once renovated were available to rent.
After a lot of hard work, the project is complete and providing much needed accommodation. Owner of the property, Donna Denman, said: “The No Use Empty Initiative has been invaluable to us as without it we would not have been able to progress the project as quickly as we did.”