New £450K homes rise from the ashes

Rising from the ashes is a new £450,000 housing development for families in Mendip. Thanks to a huge cash injection of £120,000 from Mendip District Council's empty homes initiative, eight families are moving into new homes from this week.

The cash grant from the council has helped towards redeveloping 22 Northload Street in Glastonbury which was devastated by fire in 2007. However, the building has remained empty since 2003 during which time it was targeted by vandals and squatters.

As part of its empty homes initiative, Mendip District Council provided £15,000 to the property owner for each of the eight flats which have been developed in the town, and which will be managed by Mendip Housing through its private sector leasing scheme.

As part of the initiative, the district council can offer owners of empty properties a range of services to help them give a new lease of life to their buildings including grants, private sector leasing scheme, the private lettings scheme Let's Move Mendip and a rent deposit scheme, as well as general advice and assistance.

Cllr Maureen Brandon, Mendip District Council's portfolio holder for housing, said: "Empty properties are a wasted resource, and with the demand for good quality affordable housing in the district remaining high it's vitally important that the council continues to tackle this problem.

"Schemes like this one in Glastonbury show that with council investment we can positively affect the lives of several families. These families who were facing housing difficulties can now move into new homes in a building which until a few months ago remained empty and boarded up.

"Improving the quality of life for Mendip residents is one of the council's top priorities and what better way to do this than provide good, decent homes for them."

This £450,000 Glastonbury refurbishment was completed by award-winning Optimal Design and Build which scooped a prize in Mendip District Council's Built in Quality awards.

Partner of the firm, Martin Quartermain, who also worked on the site, described the state of the building before the makeover as "horrific" but has now helped transform it into an eye-catching housing development.

Cllr Jim Barron, who is the district councilor for the St Benedict's ward which covers Northload Street, said: "It is encouraging to see the coming together of the various organisations involved with this excellent project.

"Their team work has produced, from dilapidated buildings, eight attractive homes, which are urgently required for those who are looking for much needed rented accommodation. Glastonbury needs to see more of this in the near future."

As the building had been empty for three years and the owner had agreed that once converted it would be managed by a housing association which would house families from the council's housing register, he qualified for the maximum grant of £15,000 for each of the eight flats.

However, property owners are not expected to fulfill all the criteria to successfully apply for an empty property grant.

Teresa Manvill, Mendip Housing's housing services officer, said: "Mendip Housing is very pleased to be involved with this project which enables us to provide high standard temporary housing for those in highest need.

"For the landlord it offers a regular guaranteed income safe in the knowledge that their properties are being managed effectively and maintained to a level that, when the time comes to hand the property back, they receive it in the condition to which they first gave it to us."

Since April this year, the district council has helped bring 19 empty properties back into use through various schemes.

These include: six in Frome, two in Shepton Mallet, two in Wells, one in Street, six in Glastonbury, one in Nunney and one in Butleigh.

There are currently 1,775 empty properties in Mendip of which 479 have been empty for more than six months.