Council considers home renovation proposal

In plans that could form a template for similar projects elsewhere, a council in the south of England is considering proposals to refurbish empty existing homes to bring them back into use.

West Berkshire council's executive committee is to consider a plan that would see grants of up to £20,000 per home being applied to cover as much as half of the cost of bringing the estimated 580 empty homes in the district back into use, Newbury Today reports.

The plan will be used to help create homes for affordable rent, although if the scheme is copied elsewhere some homes may be put up for sale.

Executive councillor for housing in the district Alan Law commented: "I fully support the strategy.

"Empty homes are a wasted resource that could be used to provide homes for local people."
While West Berkshire's councillors are planning to discuss the scheme, the Federation of Master Builders has repeated its call for a cut in VAT for renovation work from 17.5 per cent to five per cent.

In a report published by the body yesterday it was claimed that encouraging green renovation could be worth up to £6.5 billion to the UK building industry.