It’s a sad but very real part of our society - empty properties dotted around neighbourhoods, blighting the local view with bordered-up windows, overgrown gardens and disused white goods in the front lawn. What a shame.
Chiefly, it’s because of bad planning. Landlords, housing associations or businesses will buy a property, only to find financial matters stops them from building. Scaffolding goes up, scaffolding comes down and the house lies unoccupied until even local residents don’t give it a second thought.
Firstly, properties are sought-after and very important in a growing economy and population. As the numbers of buyers-in-need shoots up, so too does the demand for homes in the local area.
Secondly, the sight is an eyesore. One ugly house can taint the local neighbourhood. The view of bordered up windows can really put off visitors, more so if the empty property is in the middle of the high street.
Perhaps more desperate is the plight of the homeless. It feels very wrong that decent homes lie unoccupied while those less fortunate brave the streets every night. Knowing they could be sheltered is a hard truth to swallow, and why we should do something about it.
One potential solution is to run the empty property scandal through the courts. If a policy was passed into law that forced empty properties to be sold on or developed, that would encourage the landlords to do something pragmatic about it. Those houses could then be passed to new developers, or used for philanthropic purposes such as housing and community projects.
Alternatively, measures could be made to ensure that those buying these properties provide adequate plans for development. They should not be used as cash cows for the future, but as opportunities for the present community.
