Burnley Council to compulsory purchase seven vacant homes

The council’s executive, on July 12, will be asked to authorise the latest set of compulsory purchase orders.

The properties are in Caernarvon Avenue, Cameron Street, Fraser Street, Gill Street, and Piccadilly Road in Burnley, and Graham Street and Lawrence Street in Padiham.

Since the start of the council empty homes programme in 2004, the number of empty properties reached its height in 2009 when there were 3,232.

Since then, the number has been reduced by almost half.

The number of long-term empty properties (those vacant for six months or more) fell from 1,139 in 2017 to 658 in 2022.

Under the empty homes programme, properties are acquired for re-sale and, once renovated, reoccupied with the proceeds being re-invested back into buying and refurbishing further properties.

Coun. John Harbour, Burnley Council’s housing boss, said it was the vital the council continued working to reduce the number of empty of properties in the borough.

“The council is steadily reducing the number of empty houses across our borough and it’s good to see that the number of long-term empty properties has halved in the last five years.

“By doing so we are helping to provide good quality homes and, at the same time, cutting the number of vacant properties that can fall derelict and be an eyesore and a magnet for anti-social behaviour.”