16 Ship Street - What's that house all about?

[Cheeky Monkey]

Fab central location, beautiful house, but with the accumulated dust on the windows, closed shutters, flaking paintwork and rusted gate/fence it doesn't look as though anyone has been near the place since the 1913/14 season, not even a postman. Anyone with local knowledge know anything about the place? It must be worth a mint. Very strange.

 

[Wardy]

I would imagine that someone lives there. Councils have the power these days to force owners of buildings to put them back into use, or seize them, do them up, rent the property out and charge the owner.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Ship Street - "nos. 16-17 are elegant buildings in red brick"

- The History Man's Encyclopaedia of Brighton.

 

[Icy Gull]

Really? If so that is f***ing outrageous. What if someone old lives there and can't afford to do the place up, can the council play the Nazi then?

 

[wehatepalace]

Really? If so that is f***ing outrageous. What if someone old lives there and can't afford to do the place up, can the council play the Nazi then?

If someone old lives there then its not empty so the council can't do anything unless it is causing a danger or health hazard to anyone.

For empty properties read about how Woking council deals with them http://www.woking.gov.uk/housing/landlords/emptyhomes

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Really? If so that is f***ing outrageous. What if someone old lives there and can't afford to do the place up, can the council play the Nazi then?

Owners of property in conservation areas have enjoyed the benefit of HUGE increases in the value of their assets. The least they need to do is contribute something towards maintaining the character of the area.

 

[Slowhand]

Owners of property in conservation areas have enjoyed the benefit of HUGE increases in the value of their assets. The least they need to do is contribute something towards maintaining the character of the area.

An increase in value is not the same as having cash spare, and council tax is all the contribution that should be needed.

As long as it's safe and no work is done without planning permission surely that should be it.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

An increase in value is not the same as having cash spare, and council tax is all the contribution that should be needed.

As long as it's safe and no work is done without planning permission surely that should be it.

What about somewhere like Brunswick Square? There has ALWAYS been an obligation on the all of the property owners to paint the outside of buildings at agreed intervals and using the same shade of paint.

Are you saying that is wrong?

 

[tedebear]

What about somewhere like Brunswick Square? There has ALWAYS been an obligation on the all of the property owners to paint the outside of buildings at agreed intervals and using the same shade of paint.

Are you saying that is wrong?

Slightly different to allowing the council to put whomever they want in your home and charge you for the pleasure...

Frankly its an appalling ruling...

 

[Gully]

There are villages in my part of the world where people aren't allowed to paint their front doors anything other than a couple of different colours, if anyone dares to do so the residents association or whoever make it known that that sort of behaviour is totally unacceptable and set out to make their lives really uncomfortable...that is somewhat retarded in my opinion.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Slightly different to allowing the council to put whomever they want in your home and charge you for the pleasure...

Frankly its an appalling ruling...

I am minded to disagree with you there. There are 800,000 + empty homes in Britain and many more people living in squalid conditions, temporary accomodation or homeless.

 

[Gully]

Slightly different to allowing the council to put whomever they want in your home and charge you for the pleasure...

Frankly its an appalling ruling...

I am guessing that the Brunswick Square thing is all about preserving the look of the area...a sort of aesthetic thing.

 

[tedebear]

I am minded to disagree with you there. There are 800,000 + empty homes in Britain and many more people living in squalid conditions, temporary accomodation or homeless.

So why is that my fault?

 

[tedebear]

I am guessing that the Brunswick Square thing is all about preserving the look of the area...a sort of aesthetic thing.

I agree with the painting thing, keep the square looking lovely as it always has....

 

[Barrel of Fun]

So why is that my fault?

It is not necessarily your fault, but you can do something about it. Why sit on an empty property when it could be put to good use?

 

[Gully]

So why is that my fault?

It isn't, it is down to absentee landlords and local housing departments...the only problem is that the figure probably contains a large number of properties in areas where nobody wants to live, such as where you had steelworks and coal mines...they have gone so there is no longer much of a requirement to house people in those areas.

 

[tedebear]

It is not necessarily your fault, but you can do something about it. Why sit on an empty property when it could be put to good use?

Because it is mine, I paid for it and I shall dictate what happens to it (within reason). I didn't buy it to allow someone else to bodge it up and stick whomever they like in it....

 

[Gully]

I agree with the painting thing, keep the square looking lovely as it alwayas has....

Which is probably why some cotswold villages insist on house doors being painted a very pale shade of blue or green and the woodwork a sort of yellowy beige...set against the Bath stone it does look very nice...but so would a bright red or blue door!

 

[Barrel of Fun]

It isn't, it is down to absentee landlords and local housing departments...the only problem is that the figure probably contains a large number of properties in areas where nobody wants to live, such as where you had steelworks and coal mines...they have gone so there is no longer much of a requirement to house people in those areas.

Quite possibly where there have been population shifts, but the figure should not be discounted altogether.

Findings in 2008 suggested there are 6,000 properties, deemed as long-term empty, in Sussex with a much longer waiting list for a council house.

 

[tedebear]

Which is probably why some cotswold villages insist on house doors being painted a very pale shade of blue or green and the woodwork a sort of beige...set against the Bath stone it does look very nice...but so would a bright red or blue door!

I guess you get told when you buy the house about any restrictions on exterior changes....I'm ok with that - its protecting an areas look and feel...