Residents and landlords in two Burnley areas to be consulted on selective licensing scheme

Selective licensing schemes in Burnley Wood and Healey Wood, and the Leyland Road area of the town, are due to come to an end in November.

A report to Burnley Council’s Executive Committee recommends public consultation as part of evidence gathering before a final decision is made at the end of the year on whether the schemes should be extended a further five years.

The council has been operating selective licensing since October 2008, as part of a wider regeneration strategy for the borough. The aim is to support landlords and tenants and improve housing management in the private rented sector to help tackle issues such as falling house prices, anti-social behaviour, and general deprivation.

A report to the executive said that both areas had seen improvements in the five years that selective licensing has been operating there. These include a fall in the number of housing disrepair complaints received by the council have reduced, improvements to property and area security measures, and a decrease in empty houses. There has also been a fall in ASB and environmental crime, and a rise in average house prices.

Coun. John Harbour, executive member for housing, said: “Selective licensing has been effective in improving certain areas of our borough and tenants, landlords and the wider communities have all benefited from the initiative.

“It’s now time to consider whether selective licensing should continue in these areas and we want to hear from all those effected so we can make an informed decision.”

If the report is approved, an 11-week public consultation would start on August 9th in both areas. The consultation will invite all residents, landlords, businesses and agencies working in the designation areas to comment on the proposals. All comments would be considered before a final decision on whether to extend the schemes is made.