Plans to use 1,000s of empty homes in Bristol watered down
A last minute change by councillors scrapped the idea to set up a new taskforce bring unused places back into use
Last updated 21st Jul 2024
Plans to use empty buildings to tackle Bristol’s housing crisis are watered down
Plans to use thousands of empty buildings to tackle Bristol’s housing crisis have been watered down by councillors. A motion was changed at the last minute to scrap proposals setting up new teams to bring back empty buildings into use.
Over 5,000 existing homes in Bristol are empty, according to government data, enough to accommodate a quarter of households on the waiting list for social housing. Over 13,000 new homes are also thought to have been given planning permission, but are yet to be built.
Green councillors at Bristol City Council put forward a motion, during a full council meeting on Tuesday, January 9, to set up a new taskforce to look at using redundant buildings as new homes, as well as a new team to make sure new homes given permission are built.
But Labour amended the motion shortly before the council meeting began, to remove the plans for the new teams. Instead, existing council staff will continue the work they were already doing, while the government will be lobbied to provide the council with more support.
Green Councillor Tony Dyer, the party’s housing spokesman, said: “This motion looks at bringing empty homes back into use, and making use of buildings that are currently empty and are no longer viable for their current use. It also looks at how we can ensure that homes that get planning permission are delivered.”
The council already has a small empty homes team, whose remit could be expanded following the motion. It’s unclear whether the council will provide any extra funding for new staff to expand the team, although they will be asked to look at examples of best practice from elsewhere in the country.
Instead of a new dedicated team looking at stalled construction sites, the existing planning team will be asked to explore why some developers don’t build homes which they’ve received permission for. However, the planning team has been decimated after a recent recruitment freeze, and existing staff are overstretched and struggling with a huge backlog of applications.
Several issues also remain with using empty buildings such as offices and hotels as new homes. Examples include the Grosvenor Hotel near Temple Meads, which has been left derelict for many years; and the Imperial Apartments in Hengrove, where a converted office block sparked major controversy in 2022 after complaints from residents.
Labour Cllr Tom Renhard, cabinet member for housing delivery and homelessness, said: “We must continue to build homes and this is what the Labour administration has been doing. Over 12,500 homes have been built since 2016, with 2,563 homes built including 474 affordable homes in 2021/22 alone — the most in a year in over a decade.
“We are scaling up further, focusing on building new council homes, alongside those for affordable home ownership and other tenures. Goram Homes, our council-owned housing company, has now built its first homes at One Lockleaze, a scheme where the local Green party councillors failed to support it.
“This is despite there even being a local lettings policy in place, guaranteeing some of the council homes will go to local Lockleaze residents on the waiting list, desperate for a safe, secure and suitable warm home.”
The amended motion was voted through by councillors, with 63 in favour and one abstaining. None voted against the plans.