#1
..according to their website there are 2044 empty homes in the Dover district and 2283 people on the housing list!
I wonder how many of these places could be put back into use easily and economically?
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-british-property-scandal/articles/your-neighbourhood?area=2355 Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
#2
Thats a very interesting website there Greg and quite amazing to see those statistics. I see Paul Watkins is mentioned on there too. Where are all those properties in Dover..blimey...baffling. I saw something about this on TV, its like that throughout the nation too.
By the way Ive made your link LIVE for you Greg.
Easy to do...just click on URL down amongst the Smileys and type between the two little boxes.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,931
#3
I found that figure for this area unbelievable until I realised that they were referring to the whole DDC area. I can only assume that Ministry of Defence properties and those being modernised and awaiting new tenants are included as well as the miserly FOUR that have been reported.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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#4
Simple...do what I did and just walk about the town for an hour...you'd be surprised the number of empty houses/flats ... doesn't say much for our small town ! ..
There is a whole block of flats a couple of minutes walk from the town centre?
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#5
Be careful here. Remember lies, damn lies and statistics. Jan has a good point.
Initially it looks bad but I remember 20 odd years ago when similar figures were produced when I was on DDC and I asked questions. The figures included properties 'between tenants', perhaps only for a month awaiting renovation or redecoration.
Some properties may be uninhabitable as well, awaiting redevelopment.
Do these figures just relate to Council Houses or all social housing or, indeed all housing? That also provides some important distinctions. If all houses then again we have a very different picture, many of the properties will not be suitable for the homeless, some perhaps may be in the process of being sold. My own home was empty for 3 months after we bought it while we gutted it and renovated it top to bottom and in the latter case would appear in the statistics at the time.
If you have the answers Greg as to what is included then that will help inform a discussion. You are correct that in the town there are a lot of potential homes above shops left empty but I am not clear if these are part of the study. The owners of the properties should think about gaining extra revenue from them. I think I know the block of flats you mean and if it is them they are not fit for human occupation and are due to be fully revamped when the money is available.
#6
Just reporting the figure I get when I signed up to join the campaign Barry...did a little delving to see how they got that figure..
It would be interesting to see if any of the local papers pick up on this and confirm the stats as stated by Channel 4?
Dover, and many others in the district, has it's fair share of empty property, both commercial and residential, some I'm sure is not fit for habitation, but there must be some that can be bought back into the system?
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
#7
One need only look at how many properties are for sale or for rent in the estate agencies, to see that in fact there are many empty accommodations in Dover.
I pointed this out to DDC in my representaion last year, in November, regards the Whitfield development plans.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#8
in summing up we have a large number of properties empty for one reason or another and a much larger number of people looking for a home.
hardly fits in with the goverments plans to import people in vast numbers to carry out the economic rescue.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
#9
I also note that the figure of 2044 empty homes is an estimate and therefore not a statistic. Statistics refer to real data not to estimates.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#10
Just a correction Howard - the government does not have a plan to 'import people in vast numbers'.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#11
most of the press carried the story that the recovery planned relied on immigration.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#12
Press stories - the Mirror perhaps...
No, Howard that is not the case. We have enough unemployed.
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
#13
Correction..............Osborne and OBR want immigration kept at 140,000 level.