The housing shortage could be alleviated by alternative means according to Ariane Burgess MSP
A politician from Forres is calling on the Scottish Government to use empty homes to address housing shortages.
Scottish Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands, Ariane Burgess, secured a commitment from the First Minister to strengthen enforcement powers and reform compulsory purchase orders (CPOs).
She said: “Bringing empty homes back into use is a win-win – it can provide much-needed housing and revitalise communities. We need robust powers to ensure that long-term empty homes are brought back into use and I look forward to hearing more about the compulsory purchase orders review soon.”
A CPO is a legal tool which may be used by some organisations, including councils, to buy land or property to support projects that are in the public interest.
The enactment of other Scottish Green policies has enabled councils to more effectively monitor second and empty homes in their areas, and to increase council tax to motivate owners to renovate, sell or rent properties.
There are 21,606 second homes and 43,538 empty properties in Scotland.
Council tax records show that nearly three-quarters of the empty properties (31,596) had been empty for over a year. It also shows the number of second homes had fallen by 10 per cent in the last year.
“There are now 6823 homes in my region that have been empty for more than a year,” said Ms Burgess. “A further 7870 have been empty for six months or more.
“That’s almost 15,000 homes lying empty amid a housing emergency.
“The Scottish Government must look again in its budget for innovative ways to get those homes back into the housing supply chain. We know this can be achieved at a fraction of the cost of new build.”
The number of empty properties in Moray rose by 11.9 per cent to 603 last year.
