October 15, 2018 3.20 pm This story is over 64 months old

Empty homes given new life in Lincoln

It had been left in a very poor state

Two derelict homes in Lincoln were left in a very poor state before they were transformed, but hundreds more sit empty across the city.

A property owner has three houses in Sincil Bank which were left without tenants after they required major work to make safe.

The City of Lincoln Council stepped in to ensure that the houses, one of which had become a hotspot for crime, would be refurbished.

Work began earlier this year to transform the two properties, with the second home recently being completed.

A third property is still undergoing refurbishment and is due to be completed by the end of the year.

Hannah Cann, City of Lincoln Council, said: “We wanted to highlight the work we have done as a council to transform these particular derelict properties into much-needed housing.

“One of this owner’s empty properties became a hot spot for anit-social behaviour and fly-tipping, making it a top priority for action to be taken.

“We encouraged the owner to work with property developers and offered advice about the refurbishment.”

The bathroom has also been refurbished.

The council have hailed the work as a success story, but say that the Sincil Bank area still has nearly 60 empty homes.

Over the past five years, more than 130 empty homes have been brought back into use by the city council.

As previously reported, a Freedom of Information request by The Lincolnite revealed how 436 homes in Lincoln have been empty for longer than six months.

Nine of those empty properties have been left without an occupant since 1993, over 25 years.

Anyone who knows of an empty property in Lincoln is being urged by the council to report it to them through their website.