Council to press land owners to build homes

NEW powers to seize vacant land from owners who refuse to develop housing have been adopted by Birmingham City Council.

The city’s housing and propery departments want to use the compulsory purchase powers to help the city meet its target of building 89,000 new homes by 2031.

Owners who land bank vacant sites will be first encouraged to develop them and those who refuse will be targeted.

Labour cabinet member for housing Peter Griffiths said: “We have extended the use of compulsory purchase powers to include not only empty homes but also vacant land which is suitable for housing.”

He said that, as for empty homes, compulsory purchase would be used as a last resort.

“We want to encourage people who own these sites to the think about developing them themselves, more quickly,” he added.

The housing department has identified sites with planning permission for 8,000 homes which have not yet been built and, where developers refuse to get building, has promised to snap them up and do it instead.

The new powers came as it was revealed that more than 5,000 homes in Birmingham have been empty for more than six months.

Birmingham is estimated to need an extra 89,000 homes by 2031 and, so far, space has been found for 44,000 within the city boundaries.

The council is seeking permission to build a further 6,000 on green belt at Sutton Coldfield, as well as looking to neighbouring councils to supply more sites.

The council-owned Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust is currently building about 500 homes a year.