Issue - meetings

As per item 15.

The Cabinet considered the exempt information.

Report of the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters, and Planning.

The report will recommend the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders to purchase four privately owned empty homes in the Borough, in line with the Council's revised Empty Homes Policy.

The Cabinet Member for Communities and Civic Life introduced the report which was seeking authority to use enforcement powers through the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders to acquire four empty homes set out in the report.

The Cabinet Member described the critical shortage of homes in the borough and how these privately owned homes have been deemed as long term empty and were subject to complaints by neighbours and the local community and had been targeted in accordance with the Council’s Empty Homes Policy 2020.

In response to a question from Cllr Connor , the sale proceeds of the CPO concerning the First Floor Flat 33 Priory Road N8 would be paid to the court. The owner would be able to access the funds from the court.

Following consideration of the exempt information, it was

RESOLVED

1.    To consider each of the four empty properties set out in paragraph [1.1] of this report on a case-by-case basis for an individual decision for the use of compulsory purchase powers under section 17 of the Housing Act 1985 to acquire each of the properties and agree to the making of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for each of the properties.

2.    To authorise the submission of each those orders to the Secretary State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for each of the orders to be confirmed, under Compulsory Purchase powers.

3.    To authorise the Head of Legal and Governance to:

(a)  Agree the statements of reasons and make and seal each of the Orders for submission to the Secretary of State for consideration and approval (including the service of any requisition notices necessary to establish interests in the property) and to carry out the statutory notification required.

(b)  Confirm each of the Compulsory Purchase Order in the event of the Secretary of State returning the Order authorising the Council to do so.

(c)  Prepare for, and represent the Council at, any public inquiry held following submission of the Order to the Secretary of State.

(d)  Upon confirmation of each of the Compulsory Purchase Orders proceed with acquisition of the relevant property.

(e)  In the event that any of the owner(s) undertakes in the form of a legally enforceable cross undertaking to bring the relevant property back into residential occupation and use within a reasonable timescale, to authorise the Head of Legal Services in consultation with the Director of Adult and Housing Services to enter in to and enforce such an undertaking at any time during the CPO process for the property in question; and

(f)   Act in relation to any other procedural matters that may arise in the normal course of the CPO process.

4.    To approve (following vesting of any of the properties) the disposal of such property to a Registered Provider where possible, or to an individual or private developer for a sum equivalent to the open market value of the property, with covenants to bring the property back into use as soon as practicable; and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84