Empty property officers from across Kent have come together to attend a special seminar aimed at helping them increase their knowledge and understanding of the latest legislation which can help bring empty properties back into use.
The workshop was hosted by No Use Empty: the East Kent Empty Property Initiative, a campaign which aims to reduce the number of empty properties in East Kent. Kent County Council teamed up with the four District Councils of Dover, Shepway, Swale and Thanet to launch the campaign in November last year in response to the recurring problem of empty properties in the region and the detrimental impact they have on local communities. The campaign is encouraging owners of empty properties to bring them back into use and create much-needed homes for people.
Over 37 Empty Property Officers from 13 District Councils across Kent attended the one-day seminar at the University of Greenwich, Kings Hill Institute, West Malling. The seminar incorporated presentations from a series of keynote speakers from across the country, who were able to deliver a national perspective on key issues facing the sector.
Guest speakers at the seminar included David Ireland from the Empty Homes Agency and Rob Miles from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Nigel Ward from Newham Council delivered a presentation on Compulsory Purchase Orders (a legal power to permit councils to acquire housing when owners will not voluntarily bring their property back into use), while Gary Wilson & Dave Stott from Manchester City Council discussed the Enforced Sales Procedure ( a procedure used by authorities to recover their debts on empty properties). A further presentation from Sid Brown Shepway District Council covered the use of Section 215 Town & Country Planning Act 1990.
Susan Pledger, the No Use Empty campaign manager, said: “The purpose of the day was to provide an opportunity for empty property officers across Kent to increase their knowledge and understanding of key legislation. This will help them in their on-going work to return more empty properties back into use.
“We are delighted to have attracted such a knowledgeable and high profile range of guest speakers to the seminar. The event also provided empty property officers from across Kent the opportunity to meet, share experiences and best practice, and learn from each other. It was a great success and we are already considering turning this seminar into an annual event.”