News Release from North Tyneside Council

News release from North Tyneside Council Communications Unit, Quadrant, Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside NE27 0BY

This week (1 – 5 December) is national Empty Homes Week - an initiative led by the Empty Homes Agency, which is an independent charitable organisation that campaigns for more empty homes to be brought into use for the benefit of those in housing need.

In North Tyneside, the council and its partners are using the week to highlight their ongoing efforts to target and develop problematic, long-term empty properties across the borough and bring them back to use.

During 2014, their collective schemes have transformed 20 properties - creating 20 additional, affordable homes for people in housing need - and the work has been so successful that more is already programmed for 2015.

Problematic properties get a new lease of life

North Tyneside Council has been working with local landlords to give long- term empty properties a new lease of life, by refurbishing them to a high standard and making them ready to rent once again.

By the end of this year, 20 homes across the borough will have been transformed, regenerating local areas and providing much-needed extra affordable housing.

The work is part of the authority’s Empty Homes Programme, which aims to alleviate the concerns of landlords and neighbours alike by offering to refurbish problematic empty properties to a high-quality standard, so they can be returned to the housing market once again.

The scheme contributes to North Tyneside Council’s aim to create around 3,000 additional affordable homes across the borough over ten years. The completed

Nicola Weatherburn, Communications Advisor (0191) 643 5081 [email protected] News release from North Tyneside Council Marketing and Communications, Quadrant, Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside NE27 0BY homes – a mix of property types - are let to tenants on the council’s housing waiting list, providing much-needed accommodation.

The work also has a regenerative impact on neighbourhoods, improving local streetscapes by improving the external appearance of the properties and removing long-standing ‘To Let’ boards. Many of the empty homes targeted by the programme have previously attracted complaints from residents or had enforcement action taken by the council.

Once completed the properties are normally let very quickly, with a significant number offered to priority residents or those in housing crisis, including those at risk of homelessness or with additional needs.

North Tyneside Council has worked with housing provider partners Changing Lives and Isos to target and develop the homes, with 12 delivered by Isos, four completed by Changing Lives and four tackled through the council’s own refurbishment scheme, during 2014.

The scheme has been such a success so far that more redevelopments have already been programmed for 2015, starting with a programme to tackle eight empty properties in Wallsend, in the New Year.

The Government’s New Homes Bonus has enabled North Tyneside Council to finance its Empty Homes Programme work, with the authority creating a revolving loans fund to pay the upfront costs of refurbishment. The outlay is then paid back via rental income collected over an agreed term, typically 7 to 10 years, resulting in no overall capital costs to the council.

The programme has also seen the council working alongside housing provider partners including Changing Lives and Isos to support their efforts to bring empty Nicola Weatherburn, Communications Advisor (0191) 643 5081 [email protected] News release from North Tyneside Council Marketing and Communications, Quadrant, Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside NE27 0BY properties back into use, with the council backing both organisations’ successful bids to the Homes and Communities Agency for grant funding to deliver similar schemes.

Councillor John Harrison, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Housing, said: ““Demand is high for affordable and high-quality homes in North Tyneside - for families, for our elderly and vulnerable residents, for first-time buyers and for those on low incomes.

“Our ambition is to deliver around 3,000 more homes over the next ten years, and we’re doing that in lots of different ways, including through this Empty Homes Programme.

"This scheme has turned over a significant number of properties already, many of which were eyesores, and without this intervention it's likely that they would have remained empty and unliveable. Instead, this work has completely transformed them to a very high standard and created desirable, affordable homes.”

Local landlords involved in North Tyneside Council’s Empty Homes Programme have also praised the support on offer.

William Leong, who owned a long-term empty house which has since been transformed by the programme, said: “North Tyneside’s Empty Homes team were really understanding at a time when I felt very vulnerable and sympathetically worked with me to offer the financial assistance needed to repair and improve the property so that it could be brought back into use for someone in need of housing. With all the worry about what to do with my property now resolved, I am feeling very positive about the future.”

Nicola Weatherburn, Communications Advisor (0191) 643 5081 [email protected] News release from North Tyneside Council Marketing and Communications, Quadrant, Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside NE27 0BY

Case study - From un-loved to full of life

Last month Ashley Dickinson, aged 23, moved into her ideal home.

The three-bedroom house in North Shields is bright and airy. It’s just been completely refurbished - with double glazing, a new central heating system, new flooring and a fitted kitchen and bathroom, and Ashley loves it. She’s living there as part of a house share with two others, and like anyone living independently for the first time, can’t wait to put her own stamp on it.

She says: “I love my new home and I’m really happy here. The area is nice and quiet, my neighbours are really friendly and I am going to join a club at the community centre. I love living with my housemates, we can decorate it how we want, and nothing more could’ve been done for me.”

This time last year, the property was deserted and neglected. It has stood empty for more than 10 years and was looking run-down, inside and out.

The landlord - a private owner - was out of work and couldn’t afford to do the jobs that were needed to make it rentable again. As a result, neighbours were complaining about its state, which was attracting vandals.

North Tyneside Council’s Empty Homes Officer Sharon O’Brien, said: “We were getting regular complaints from residents about this house, asking us to something about it so we approached the owner and offered him the chance to work with us. He was really keen, and we started the refurbishment work as soon as possible. We cleared the outside areas, fitted brand new windows and doors and gave the property a total overhaul inside. The neighbours are delighted as it’s really lifted Nicola Weatherburn, Communications Advisor (0191) 643 5081 [email protected] News release from North Tyneside Council Marketing and Communications, Quadrant, Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside NE27 0BY the look of the street, we’ve been able to find tenants straight away and the landlord is relieved and pleased to have his house back in use. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

For more information on national Empty Homes Week, visit www.emptyhomes.com

Nicola Weatherburn, Communications Advisor (0191) 643 5081 [email protected]