North West

 Empty homes represent a hugely important but challenging area of the current housing agenda, both nationally and locally. In the North West alone there are over 60,000 long-term empty properties, which account for 21% of empty dwellings nationally.

Last week, the HCA and the Northern Housing Consortium staged an Empty Homes event for partners in Manchester to discuss different approaches to tackling the problem. Pete Bailey, HCA Head of Strategy and Performance for the North West reflects on the day’s events.

Links you might like

• HomesHub event offers advice to first time buyers
• Bridgewater Hall, Manchester - the North West Business of Property Conference 2012 set to take place on 17 May
• Ancoats Urban Village, Manchester - visitors descend for canal history tour
• Merseyside - £30m regeneration fund launched to kick start projects that promote local employment opportunities
• Sale, Manchester - new homes for older people launched at Brooklands Gardens
• Cheshire Community Foundation - Deborah McLaughlin talks about the launch of the philanthropy charity  
• Preston, Lancashire - outline planning application submitted for major site
• Collyhurst and Lower Irk Valley, North Manchester - investment partner sought for regeneration initiative
• Moss Side, Manchester - Victorian terraces transformed into family homes
• Wallasey, Merseyside - £4.1m eco-friendly housing development complete
• Bootle, Merseyside - multi-million pound scheme complete
• Flixton, Trafford - build underway for 16 apartments
• Oldham - new homes boost
• Ancoats, Manchester - apartments offer European approach to renting
• Rossendale, Lancashire - Young people's hostel re-opens
• The Cube, East Manchester - Apartments are a sell out
• Blackburn Cathedral Quarter - £30 million mixed use development planned
• Skelmersdale, West Lancashire - First new council homes for 15 years
• Greater Manchester and Merseyside - JV North to invest £104.3m to build 900 new affordable homes
• Kirkholt, Rochdale - Brighter Horizons builds first new affordable homes for 15 years
• Weavers’ Triangle, Burnley – Read more about the regeneration of the area on the Trust’s website
• Heritage - This report outlines our contribution to the redevelopment of heritage sites
• Economic growth in the North - Read our Executive Director Deborah Mclaughlin's opinion piece on how land disposal and economic assets could boost growth 
• Northern Regeneration Summit 2011 - Deborah McLaughlin reflects on the event and voices her opinion on the Guardian's Housing Network
• Knowsley, Merseyside - Housing trust gets £5m funding to support 240 new homes
• Manchester empty homes - This case study shows how the council is using temporary social housing funds to transform homes
• Blackpool Tower - The iconic landmark has been relaunched with our support