HMR transition fund to be spent on demolition

Charity Empty Homes has discovered the 13 councils who won funding through the £35.5 million housing market renewal transition fund intend to demolish 5,125 homes and refurbish just 113.

The data, which was gained from Freedom of Information Act requests, builds on information gathered by Inside Housing that suggested the majority of the funding is being spent on demolishing homes.

Housing minister Grant Shapps is understood to be concerned by the move, and has ordered a review of how the funding is being spent. Councils have to match fund the allocations so £70 million has been set aside for the work.

Empty Homes said the majority of the demolition schemes will see homes replaced with grass spaces or informal car parks, with no imminent plans to build more houses.

Chief executive David Ireland said: ‘Most people would think it potty that a country with a housing shortage would spend millions knocking down homes just to create open space.

‘We think this is a deeply unimaginative and unappealing way of dealing with empty homes and we urge the councils involved to change their plans and consider renovating empty houses, or even giving them away conditional on new owners renovating them.’

Source: Empty Homes FOI requests. Hyndburn applied for alternative options for 70 homes, Hull’s figures are from a press release as the FOI was declined.