Builder and developer Dale Misters wants to see families move into the 12 empty homes his company built at Birch Meadow, off Battenhall Road in Worcester, part of a larger 31-home development.
Meanwhile, data shows 3,700 people on the housing waiting list in Worcester while some homes in the city still stand empty.HOME: Some homes in Birch Meadow are still not occupied, six years after they were built (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)
Data published by Action on Empty Homes notes the rise in the number of long-term empty properties from 503 in 2022 to 573 in 2023, a 14 per cent increase.
The empty houses in Birch Meadow are a combination of one, two and three bedroom homes.
We have previously reported on a “ghost development”, built more than six months ago, which sits empty in Shrub Hill. Last December Cllr Bash Ali said Sheriff’s Gate “could and should be used to reduce the waiting list and unclog the housing system in Worcester” but a spokesperson for the development said the flats aren’t ready yet.
Meanwhile, Mr Misters of Misters Brothers Limited, the company which built the Battenhall development, said positive negotiations were now underway with a suitable housing provider to take on the management of the 12 homes (nine affordable homes and three shared ownership).
EMPTY: Parts of Birch Meadow in Battenhall have been waiting for six years as their builder expressed the hope a housing provider would take them on soon (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos)
Some of the houses, built during the first phase, have now been empty for six years.
Mr Misters, who lives in Birch Meadow himself, is hopeful a solution can soon be found so Worcester families can move in at last.
He said: “After all this time, everybody is finally in a position to move forward with this site with everybody hopefully working together to get everybody into these houses. Everybody is working together to try and get this over the line. We are negotiating with a housing provider.
“If people moved in I would feel relief after five or six years. We built them for that reason. It’s just nice to have people in them, whether it’s families or older people.”
EMPTY: Some of the homes in Birch Meadow are earmarked for social housing but the man who built them would love to see families move in (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos)
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Progress has been welcomed by Green councillor Louis Stephen who said: “Red tape has kept these homes empty for too long. I’m pleased that soon some families will have much-needed homes. This is a positive step forward for Worcester.”
Cllr Stephen said he acted on behalf of residents who had contacted him about the issue six months ago as he pushed for things to be resolved, some describing the situation as ‘ridiculous’.
He added: “I don’t think anybody has moved in yet. There are a lot of people struggling to get any sort of affordable property. It is a nice neighbourhood with lots of space and amenities around them.
“It should be enjoyed by those new people. I’m looking forward to welcoming them to Battenhall.”
During the year 2023/2024, Worcester City Council’s Housing and Homelessness services received 2,151 homelessness approaches (an additional 149 from 2022/23) which resulted in 746 homeless applications being taken (68 fewer than 2022/23).