LOTS says 0.5% of the population of any town could be housed in vacant space above shops. It estimates 98% of the homes that could be created in these spaces are not being realised.
A LOTS study for Chichester district council in West Sussex found 150 flats could be created in just four streets in the main commercial area – potentially housing 275 people. It also found:
- the area contained 370 relevant properties
- 52 had unused housing potential
- half of the households on the council's waiting list required one-bedroom accommodation.
A study of Stockton-on-Tees yielded similar results.
The research comes after news that the South East England Development Agency is to tempt single people and one-parent families into town centres by revamping disused sites (HT 1 August, page 12). SEEDA believes 80% of future demand will come from these groups.
LOTS director Ann Petherick warned: "Commercial properties in prime shopping areas change hands frequently, so ownership information collected in surveys has a life of only three to six months.
"Unless councils move immediately, the information and resources are wasted."
Source
Housing Today
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