SELBY District Council has agreed a new approach to help it to bring empty homes in the area back into use.

It is part of the authority’s wider work to improve the quality and increase the quantity of housing.

The council said there continues to be huge demand for housing across the Selby district.

A spokesman for the authority added: “Last year the total number of new homes built in the district exceeded targets, but there remain a considerable number of existing homes that lay empty.

“Bringing these privately-owned homes back onto the market will help to increase the range of homes available to families and individuals in the district.”

Now the council has set out plans for how it intends to do this, working in partnership with the North Yorkshire Housing Board to deliver a co-ordinated approach.

The approach set out by the council includes a number of potential steps, including:

• proactively working with landlords to help them resolve any issues that are preventing an empty property from being returned to the market either for sale or for rent

• supporting landlords or home owners to access funding or grants for improvement work, where this will enable the property to be brought back into use

• mutually-agreed purchase of the property to enable the council or another housing provider to bring the property back into use

• enforcement action against landlords who neglect properties, where this has a detrimental impact on the local area; with the ultimate sanction of compulsory purchase.