Decision details

That (A) authority be given for the acquisition of the land comprising the property identified in the report submitted, either voluntarily or through a compulsory purchase process;

(B)     the Director of Neighbourhood Services be authorised to make a compulsory purchase order to be known as the District Council of East Hertfordshire (Property X, Hertford) Compulsory Purchase Order, under Section 17 of the Housing Act 1985, in respect of the land and property indicated on a map marked with the name of the Compulsory Purchase Order, where the words “Property X” will be replaced with the full address of the property;

(C)    the Director of Neighbourhood Services be authorised to fix the common seal of the Council to the necessary documents and make an application to the Secretary of State for confirmation of the Order;

(D)    the Director of Neighbourhood Services be authorised to confirm the Order following the passing of this responsibility from the Secretary of State;

(E)     the Director of Neighbourhood Services be authorised to acquire the necessary interests in the land and property included in the confirmed compulsory purchase order by means of a general vesting declaration, on terms to be agreed by the Director of Neighbourhood Services or on terms ordered by the Lands Tribunal;

(F)     the Director of Neighbourhood Services be authorised to determine and to follow the most appropriate course of action for the property following the options appraisal undertaken as set out in the revised Empty Homes Strategy 2016 to 2020, which may include an appropriate amount of works to be carried out to the property while it is in the Council’s possession to deal with issues of safety and security, to abate environmental nuisances and to prepare the property for marketing, the costs incurred in carrying out these works to be recovered from the rental income or resale price;

(G)    subject to the results of the options appraisal in (F) above, the Director of Neighbourhood Services be authorised to dispose of the freehold interest in the property, on the open market, by what he considers the most suitable method and otherwise on terms and conditions to be agreed by the Director of Neighbourhood Services; and

(H)    a budget based on the financial information in Essential Reference Paper ‘C’ of the report submitted, be set for undertaking this Compulsory Purchase Order.