SPD 2017 item 3.7 - conversion back to a family dwelling

The request was partially successful.

Dear Newcastle upon Tyne City Council,

From your 2017 "Maintaining Sustainable Communities" Supplementary Planning Document:

3.7
"The City Council provides support for small landlords of HMO properties which
have remained empty for long periods, to help convert the property back to family
accommodation through a combination of grant and loan assistance. Grant funding
of between £2,000 to £10,000, depending on the length the property has been
empty, which can then be extended up to a value of £15,000 is available for
properties vacant for more than 6 months to assist towards works to bring the
property up to the Newcastle Accreditation Standard. Owners can also receive
loans. Assistance is also available through the Council’s Private Rented Services
to help owners secure and manage tenants. The level of voids in HMO Article 4
areas will continue to be closely monitored to ensure appropriate assistance is
made available to realise the potential of the existing housing stock to create
sustainable communities."

I would like to know the following please:

The number of applications made for this funding
The value of the funding
The unique number of applicants (individuals or organisations)

I would like this data split by:

Calendar Year or Fiscal Year (whatever is easy)
Ward
Application status (e.g. Pending, Rejected, Accepted)

If it is not clear from the data above, when examined, I would like to know explicitly how many C4 or Licensed HMO properties (Sui Generis) have been returned to C3 use via this scheme.

Yours faithfully,

E.B. Smith

Freedom Of Information Requests Mailbox, Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

Reference: FOI 12383

Thank you for your request for information. We are dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

We have passed your request to relevant colleagues who will respond within 20 working days starting the working day after receipt of your request.

Regards
Freedom of Information Team

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White, Colin, Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

Dear Mr Smith

Please find below the response to your FOI 12383 request regarding Empty
HMO Properties Funding.

Financial Year 2016/17

The Empty Homes team under took targeted marketing in the wards effected
by Article 4 direction, writing out to owners of 290 properties, offering
assistance to help bring their properties back into use.

9 application for financial assistance were received of which 6 were
approved and all 6 were completed and reoccupied within this financial
year.  The average length these properties were empty was just over two
years, 3 are now owner occupied and 3 private rented of which one has a
HMO license.

Financial Year 2017/18

Marketing is currently underway with 106 properties targeted.

10 applications for financial assistance have been received of which 9
were approved, 1  property has been completed so far which now private
rented occupied and has been empty for 1.5 years, no new HMO licensed
properties were created.

Colin White
Senior Housing Renewal Officer

Fairer Housing Unit
Newcastle City Council 
9th Floor,                             Tel Direct Line   +44 (0)191 277
7839
Civic Centre                        Switchboard     +44 (0)191 2328520 
ext. 27839
Newcastle upon Tyne    
NE1 8QN       

E_mail       [1][email address]
Website     [2]www.newcastle.gov.uk

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Dear Mr. White,

Thank you for your prompt response.

The 3 which are now owner occupied from FY 2016/17 are presumably use class C3
This leaves 2 in 16/17 which could be C3 or C4.
In 17/18 there is 1 which could be C3, C4 or Sui Generis and I cannot tell from the reply above.

The nature of my original query is to find out how many dwellings have been returned to C3 family use while taking advantage of this funding from Newcastle City Council. I'd also like to know which ward(s) they are in.

Can you please clarify how many properties are changed to C3 via this funding, and in which ward(s)?

Yours sincerely,

Ted Barrington

White, Colin, Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

Dear Mr Barrington

The empty home funding is allocated based primary on the length the property has been empty and we do not record what building use class the property had prior to being empty. We only check if the renovated property requires a mandatory HMO licenses and require a valid application before final payment is made, therefore I cannot provide you with figures on the number assisted properties that have changed building use class category.

The owner occupied property assisted were in North Jesmond, 1 and South Jesmond, 2 and the remaining properties were located in Ouseburn, 2 and South Heaton 2.

Colin White
Senior Housing Renewal Officer
Fairer Housing Unit
Newcastle City Council 
9th Floor,                             Tel Direct Line   +44 (0)191 277 7839
Civic Centre                        Switchboard     +44 (0)191 2328520  ext. 27839
Newcastle upon Tyne    
NE1 8QN       
E_mail       [email address]
Website     www.newcastle.gov.uk

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Dear Mr White,

Thank you for your prompt response.

It appears the council are not collecting sufficient information to assess the outcome of the following aim in the Supplementary Planning Document 2017, notably that some financial assistance is available:

"to help convert the property back to family accommodation"

If the usage class of the property is not ascertained, this cannot be monitored, although the use of the term "owner occupied" would indicate that the usage class is C3. As the information is unavailable, I think this is no longer a matter for an FOI request and will be closing this request.

I do think that this should be raised with Cllr Ged Bell and Kath Lawless as I believe it is important to understand whether the balance of C3 homes in Jesmond is changing due the the Article 4 directive.

I will be sharing this information with them to try and understand if any changes need to be made.

Thank you for your time,

Yours sincerely,

Ted Barrington