Landlords will be offered loans to make 1,000 empty homes across Colchester fit to be lived in.

The council initiative, which aims to improve the condition of 2,100 "unfit" privately-owned homes, is being introduced next month.

It offers a range of loans and grants to improve housing, which will replace the existing housing grants policy in response to the Government's reform of the housing grants laws.

Torben Wood, Colchester Council's private sector housing team manager, said more than 2,100 privately owned homes did not come up to scratch and it is estimated that at least £14.8 million was needed to make them all safe and fit to live in.

He said: "They fail to meet housing fitness in terms of repair, structural stability, dampness, heat, light and ventilation."

Two-thirds of these are owner-occupied, he told Tuesday night's meeting of the council's quality of life panel but eight per cent of privately-rented homes also fail to meet the housing fitness standard.

The majority of them are in rural parishes, where 4.3 per cent of homes are unfit and the town centre, in the Castle, Harbour, New Town and St Mary's wards, where 6.3 per cent are unfit.

Details of the grants will be available from the housing advice centre in Angel Court, Colchester High Street or on the council website www.colchester.gov.uk

Published Thursday October 24, 2002

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