State of the South West 2008

Vacant Housing Stock

6.38 With property and land at a premium it is important to ensure that available housing is being put to good use. Managing existing stock effectively and facilitating access to this stock is an important issue if local authorities are to continue to assist those in housing need. The South West had 62,475 empty dwellings in March 2004, representing 2.78% of the total housing stock, broadly comparable with the England average (see table). However the time for which this stock is empty is an important consideration. In 2004, approximately 1.4% of the total housing stock was empty for six months or more. There are considerable variations sub-regionally, with more long-term empty properties in rural areas such as Torridge, North Devon and North Dorset (2005 District Annual Monitoring Reports).

6.39 Recent data collected from the South West local authorities suggests that there is marked variation in the number of vacant properties across the counties. 28 of the region's Local Authority's have a specific empty home strategy or a strategy contained within their general local development framework housing strategy.  This represents a gradual but steady increase in the number of authorities that are placing increased emphasis on the issue of vacant housing within their areas.