Councillor N Burnett to the Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations

Can the Cabinet Member please provide us with an update on our Empty Property Strategy and what it has achieved to date?

Councillor A Hussain to the Cabinet Member Communities

Could the Cabinet Member please let us know if we are changing our old Planning Laws to help the environment in reducing the waste and is our Council committed to environmentally friendly housing and planning policy? 

Question from Councillor N Burnett to the Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations

Can the Cabinet Member please provide us with an update on our Empty Property Strategy and what it has achieved to date?

Response of the Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations

Following a public consultation, the Empty Properties Strategy 2019-2023 was endorsed and approved by Cabinet in December 2019, so with it only being 4 weeks ago, it hasn’t had enough time to embed itself.  The strategy does confirm our commitment to reducing the blight of empty properties throughout the borough and I set out below some examples of the work that has been carried out:

1. A robust suite of engagement/enforcement letters has been produced which enable a targeted and escalating approach to deal with empty properties.
2. An empty property guide has been produced which gives owners of empty properties information and advice to assist them in bringing their properties back into use.
3. A risk assessment system has been developed which allows us to target both properties that have detrimental effect on the area and those which are in areas of high housing need allowing us to achieve a blended approach in tackling the problem.
4. A dedicated email address has been created which is accessible via our website providing a single point of contact for enquiries/complaints in relation to empty properties.
5. A data has been created where details of all enforcement action/complaints and progress in bringing properties back into use can be logged, allowing us to more accurately report on the situation.
6. The discount for council tax in relation to empty properties has been removed.
7. Links have been established with auctioneers to assist owner in the sale of their properties.
8. An Enforcement Procedure in relation to Enforced Sale has been produced.

However, before the strategy was officially endorsed, the administration has been working to the strategy with and committed to the appointment of the Empty Property officer in October 2018.  Considerable progress has been made in tackling the issue of Empty Properties and since their appointment of the officer a total of 219 properties have been investigated.  Of the 20 priority properties identified by the risk assessment process, 12 properties have been brought back into use, and in relation to the remaining 8 properties, 5 are subject to Section 215 Notices under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, 2 have completed expression of interest forms in relation to grants/loans, and the remaining property was in the process of being sold but unfortunately this has fallen through so we will need undertake further engagement with the owner of this property.  The Strategy is about collaboration with the empty property owner, before we do go down the legislative route.  As a result of this work the performance of the Council when compared to the others councils in Wales has improved from 18^th in 2016-17 to 5^th 2018-2019 and in relation to the we have seen this figure more than double from 3.48% in 2018 to 8.41% 2019.

Councillor Burnett was pleased to see the Council’s performance when compared to the other councils in Wales had increased from 5^th to 18^th in relation to the percentage of properties brought back into use and asked a supplementary question as to how such properties are identified.  The Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations informed Council that properties are scored according to two main determinants, namely location and need, consideration is also taken account of nuisance, complaints and the state of repair. 

A member of Council questioned action being taken to tackle empty properties in valley communities which had been empty for a number of years.  The Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations informed Council of an example of a property in a valley community which had been a blight for 10 years and that the Empty Properties Officer had worked with the Environmental Health Department and the owner in order to bring the property to auction and that the new owner had been able to access grants. 

A member of Council questioned whether the Council was using enforcement powers to tackle empty properties.  The Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations informed Council that the Council has a number of powers at its disposal and that Section 215 Notices had been used for the removal of rubbish and to clear paths.        

Question from Councillor A Hussain to the Cabinet Member Communities

Could the Cabinet Member please let us know if we are changing our old Planning Laws to help the environment in reducing the waste and is our Council committed to environmentally friendly housing and planning policy? 

Response of the Cabinet Member Communities

The statutory planning system is a devolved function of the Welsh Government but is largely implemented through local government and as such the Council is also the Local Planning Authority (LPA).  A large raft of legislative documents form the basis of planning law and this provides the national statutory legal framework around which the land use planning system is implemented whilst planning policy, updated on a regular basis provides the guidance and direction necessary to make land use planning decisions on both a Wales wide and local level.  Planning Policy Wales Edition 10 (PPW10), published in 2018 together with the associated Technical Advice Notes (TANs), sets out the over-arching main national planning policy context and Local Development Plans (LDPs) and Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) are produced by LPAs for their respective areas.  In planning law the development plan has primacy in planning decisions unless specifically overridden by national policy.  The LDP translates the Council’s wellbeing objectives and corporate priorities into clear land use planning policies and strategies.

PPW10 has aligned national planning policy with the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and has specific aims in relation to waste, both in the provision of facilities and in the reduction of waste in future development. It also requires new development to more sustainable with a focus on energy efficiency and smarter use of resources.  The replacement Bridgend LDP must be in conformity with PPW10 and this provides further opportunity to craft policies and SPG to reflect national policy and to deliver sustainable development outcomes.  Furthermore, Bridgend enjoys an above national average waste recycling rate.

It should also be noted that the Building Regulations is also a devolved function and is seen as a principal means of ensuring that new buildings are as energy efficient as possible and proposed changes to Part L of the regulations will further increase the standards necessary to provide more environmentally friendly development. 

In addition Bridgend is leading the way in smart energy provision including proposals for district heating schemes and the Caerau Minewater. 

Councillor Hussain in asking a supplementary question of the Cabinet Member sought assurance that step changes in planning policy were being taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as he believed that this had not been the case at the Hillside development in Penyfai where regular flooding was being witnessed.  The Cabinet Member Communities referred the Member to the minewater scheme and that a number of other projects were being run advancing technology.  He stated that the Council has a local area strategy to reduce carbon emissions, being one of the few councils in Wales and the UK to have a strategy. 

A member of Council referred to developers following planning legislation and questioned whether the Council encouraged developers to meet the Council’s aspirations of de-carbonisation.  The Cabinet Member Communities informed Council of the Welsh Government’s intention for Wales to be powered by clean energy and that it has a budget for zero carbon properties which he hoped would be a catalyst for a change in legislation.

A member of Council questioned where is the Council ranked in Wales for low carbon properties.  The Cabinet Member Communities informed Council that the local area strategy has enabled the Council to develop expertise and work with potential partners.