More houses may be compulsorily purchased in city

One council report concerns a house on Warstones Drive that has been empty for more than four years

Two more empty houses could be compulsorily purchased by City of Wolverhampton Council, as part of its scheme to turn long-term unoccupied properties into family homes.

The homes on Warstones Drive and Hadley Road have been vacant for a number of years, and the authority's cabinet is being asked to approve the potential purchases at a meeting on Wednesday.

In March, the authority said it had taken over more than 300 homes over five years to be sold or rented, many of which had been empty for many years.

The council buys the properties and refurbishes them, before selling them on and putting the money back into the scheme.

Both of the latest properties are semi-detached, with the one on Hadley Road being empty since August 2018 and the house on Warstones Drive vacant since January 2021.

Before considering compulsory purchase, housing improvement officers work with owners to encourage them to carry out any required work and get them occupied again, the council said.

Through the strategy, the authority stated it wanted to prevent properties becoming "a blight on their neighbourhood" and make them available to be sold or rented.