Member Article

Grwp Cynefin and Denbighshire County Council help transform empty houses into homes

Housing association Grwp Cynefin and Denbighshire County Council have joined forces to help transform another empty Denbigh property into a family home.

As part of Denbighshire County Council’s Empty Homes Project, the organisations work together to encourage owners of vacant properties to carry out renovation work and find new tenants.

Denbighshire County Council’s Empty Home Scheme helps owners of long term empty dwellings access various financial assistances, from the empty homes assistance, a repayable grant that can pay for up to 50 per cent of the cost of bringing a property back into use, up to a maximum value of £10,000, through to Houses to Homes loans, a 3 year interest free loan of upto £25,000 per unit.

The assistance aims to return homes that have been unoccupied for more than six months, or that have no viable plan of coming back into use, to the housing market. In return, property owners agree to make the home available on an affordable rental basis, resulting in a greater number of available properties for the rental market.

One resident who has benefitted from the scheme is Kirsty Freeston, who moved into her home on Henllan Street, Denbigh, four months ago.

The property had been empty for over five years, but thanks to Grwp Cynefin and the Denbighshire County Council’s work through the Empty Homes Project, Kirsty, her partner Harry and baby daughter Ruby have found a new home in the centre of the town.

Kirsty said: “I’ve lived in Denbigh all my life, and it’s great for us to have found a lovely home with a garden in the centre of town while staying close to my family.”

Kirsty is one of a number of people that have benefitted from the Empty Homes Project since the partnership began in 2011.

Noela Jones, head of housing for Grwp Cynefin, said: “The Empty Homes Project is a fantastic example of how Grwp Cynefin is working in partnership with local authorities to achieve a mix of housing options in communities across North Wales.

“Research has shown that Wales is making great progress in bringing empty homes back into use. A report from Sheffield Hallam University found that 2,178 empty homes were brought back into use in 2013/14, an increase of 99 per cent on 2012/13.

“Schemes like this, where housing associations work in partnership with an authority to bring homes back into use, are central to this increase, making a significant contribution to communities across Wales.”

Andrea Fisher, Denbighshire’s Empty Homes Officer, said: “The grant allowed the home owner to make major improvements and repairs to the property.

“It’s a fantastic property, which will hopefully provide many happy times for Kirsty and her family.”

Grŵp Cynefin manages nearly 4,500 affordable homes across North Wales, provides a range of community services for people in need and also delivers a number of community regeneration projects.

For more information on Denbighshire County Council’s and Grwp Cynefin’s work with the Empty Homes Project, contact Grwp Cynefin on 0300 111 2122 or visit www.grwpcynefin.org or contact Denbighshire County Council on 01824 706717 or visit www.denbighsire.gov.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .