No Use Empty, the UK’s most successful empty homes initiative, sees £300,000 pledge from Dover District Council-
Award winning empty homes scheme, No Use Empty (NUE), has received a commitment of £300,000 from Dover District Council to provide top-up loans to help bring long-term empties back into use.
The pioneering scheme introduced top-up loans in 2015 and has since seen further pledges totalling £800,000 from Shepway, Tunbridge Wells, and now Dover.
The top-up loans are indicative of the success of the scheme and the importance of collaboration between local authorities.
The top-up loans will be used to support the current £4 million county wide NUE investment that has been allocated for the return of long-term empty housing stock to use and will be targeted at the wards of Castle, Maxton and Elms Vale, and Tower Hamlets.
An additional £15,000 will be added to the NUE empty loan making a total of £40,000 per unit available to unlock developments in those wards. All loans are secured and repayable after 3 years.
Steve Grimshaw, Programme Manager for No Use Empty at Kent County Council said: “No Use Empty is continually innovating to try and find the best ways to bring long-term empty homes back into use. The top-up loans are an illustration of this, and we are very encouraged to see Dover allocate a significant £300,000 to help create homes. Currently we are seeing the Government call for commitments to provide housing for first time buyers, with NUE top-up loans we are able to provide another route to access larger scale schemes, delivering much needed housing and regeneration in Kent.”
Cllr Pauline Beresford for Dover District Council, said: “We have been part of the No Use Empty scheme since it was founded over 10 years ago, and are very happy to reaffirm our commitment to the successful scheme through the top-up loans. Bringing long-term empty homes back into use is a key method of driving regeneration, one which not only provides new homes but also new sources of employment and a sense of community. Dover District has a wide range of regeneration taking place and delivering homes is a fundamental part of that wider ongoing plan.”