Empty buildings are a problem

Written by David Heath MP and published in Frome Standard on Thu 5th Jun 2008

Events at the Mendip Lodge Hotel over recent weeks have underlined how important it is to make sure we don't have buildings empty and deteriorating around the town. Not only is it a risk in itself, from fire whether deliberate or otherwise, or simply from intruders getting up to no good, but an empty building becoming derelict can very quickly become an eyesore which does nothing for the town.

Another example is the old dairy building at the top of Culver Hill. It presents a far from welcoming impression as you enter Frome, and must be thoroughly depressing for people who live in the area. I'm sure there are many other examples.

One of the problems is that other than the prospects of rental income or re-development potential, there is no real incentive for landowners to get sites back into productive use, or even preserve the fabric. In some cases there is a real suspicion that allowing a building to become derelict is part of a deliberate game-plan to encourage eventual demolition and open the door to new planning permissions.

Early intervention by local authorities to prevent deterioration may be part of the answer. Taxing the value of a site may also help. Certainly it is not in the community interest to have to live cheek by jowl with an eyesore.