Nearly 900 homes stand empty in Lancashire borough

A total of 73 homes have been empty for more than two years

Nearly 900 houses are standing vacant across a Lancashire borough, according to officials.

Concerns have been expressed that the properties in Pendle could lead to a waste of resources and increase anti-social behaviour, a council report says.

While the empty homes situation is better than the averages for Lancashire overall and England, the report says: “We will be targeting these [properties] and, in appropriate cases, be seeking to use compulsory purchase powers to bring them back into use.”

About 200 of the vacant homes are in the town of Colne, including 73 which have been empty for more than two years.

Council incentives

The report said vacant properties made up 2.1% of homes in the borough.

“This is significantly below the average for Lancashire at 3.4% and the average for England, which was 2.8% in 2023.”

The loss of an empty homes officer role from the council’s environmental health department in 2021 has restricted the amount of work that staff have been able to do, according to the report.

But the borough’s corporate plan has highlighted the need for a stock condition survey of buildings, which should inform a “more robust approach” to managing empty properties.

Councillors have asked for regular updates about the management of empty homes.

Across the country in recent years, councils have been offered financial incentives by central government to get empty houses back into use or create new homes, under the New Homes Bonus.

Incentives were paid to councils based on the council tax income collected due to property conversions, re-occupied houses, renovations and new-build homes.