Compulsory purchase orders planned for 11 empty homes

Burnley Council’s Executive is being asked to approve compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) on 11 properties in Burnley and Padiham.

The council works with owners to bring empty properties back into use. CPOs are used as a last resort.

The purchases will be carried out under the council’s vacant property initiative which sees empty houses refurbished and put back on the market.

In many cases the properties attract anti-social behaviour such as vandalism and fly-tipping.

Some of these have been empty for 13 years or more and although the owners have been contacted several times by the council they either did not respond or did not give any reasonable proposal to renovate.

Coun. John Harbour, Executive member for housing, said: “Even with limited resources, we’re working across the whole borough to breathe new life into empty houses.”