South Derbyshire District Council - Demolitions regeneration service

We must, by law, review the housing conditions in our area from time to time. As a result, properties are identified which have outlived their useful life or have been abandoned. Many of these houses will fail the current minimum housing standard.

We then has to decide on the best course of action to deal with the properties and this may be by including them in a clearance area and subsequently demolishing them.

The first steps in the procedure

Regular reviews of housing conditions will highlight properties that are substandard and/or vacant. We must first decide to include properties in principle in clearance areas, based on the estimated levels of substandard conditions.

In order to seek a council decision to do this, a report must be produced and the recommendation agreed by our Housing and Community Services Committee. We must then carry out a detailed internal and external inspection of all the houses we propose to include in clearance.

Following the survey of the houses, we will be able to decide whether, in our opinion, the houses fail to meet the current housing standard and whether or not the best way of dealing with them is by demolition. Following the decision to include the properties in proposed clearance areas we must carry out formal consultation of all owners.

Formal consultation process

We must consult with everyone who has a legal interest in the properties identified for clearance. These may be owner-occupiers, landlords, financial institutions e.g. banks, building societies.

An advertisement will be placed in the local press indicating that the council intends to include the houses in clearance areas.

In addition, we also send a formal notice to all interested parties, inviting them to submit any comments they have or make representations to us within 28 days of receiving the notice. There is also an assessment of the future housing needs of those that would be displaced by clearance so that their housing needs can be accommodated.

Owners of properties that are in a decent condition will not receive a formal notice and their properties will not appear in the press advertisement. They will however, receive a letter asking them for their comments on the clearance proposal within 28 days as their properties will be included in the compulsory purchase order as added lands.

All tenants will also be consulted on the proposal and their views will also be taken into account.

Contact details

South Derbyshire District Council
Private Sector Housing Section
Civic Offices
Civic Way
Swadlincote
Derbyshire
DE11 0AH

Tel: 01283 595719
Fax: 01283 595855
Online: contact form
email: enforcement@south-derbys.gov.uk

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