§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effect on the housing market of vacant dwellings(a) in England and (b) in the local area. [50652]
§ Mr. ByersIn our assessment, in areas where the housing market is functioning well, vacant dwellings may lead to increased pressure on the housing stock and for development on greenfield land. They may also blight neighbouring properties. In areas of low housing demand, where the proportion of vacant dwellings may be more highly concentrated, they can escalate the decline of an area, act as a magnet for crime, vandalism, arson and antisocial behaviour and create negative equity problems for those living in adjacent dwellings.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the effect of vacant dwellings on the local housing market and for developing strategies to minimise their number, as part of their wider housing strategy.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vacant dwellings there were and how many vacant dwellings were privately owned in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area. [50653]
§ Mr. ByersI have placed the information requested in the Libraries of the House. The table presents data showing the total number of vacant dwellings and how many of these were privately owned at 1 April in each local authority area in England for the last five years (1997–2001).
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vacant dwellings that have been(a) vacant for more than six months, (b) vacant for between three to six months and (c) vacant for less than three months, are waiting to be (i) sold, (ii) let and (iii) redeveloped. [50651]
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vacant dwellings there were and how many were privately owned in each of the last five years; and how many were vacant(a) for more than six months, (b) between three to six months and (c) for less than three months. [50650]
§ Mr. ByersThe number of vacant dwellings in England on 1 April in each of the last five years is shown in the table, together with the number that were privately owned.
1089W
Number of vacant dwellings in England at 1 April Total vacant of which: Privately owned 2001 755,100 622,600 2000 760,500 623,200 1999 767,000 637,000 1998 753,300 623,300 1997 767,200 640,200 Information on the length of time dwellings were vacant is not available in the form requested.