Planning

• Archaeology and Heritage
• Beyond LA21
• Countryside
• Community Projects Guide
• Development Control
• Ecology
• Forest of Bowland
• Forestry
• Grants
• Green Tourism
• Lancashire Environment 2002
  • Foreward
  • Executive Summary
  • Introduction
  • Summary - What the indicators show
  • Bathing Water Quality
  • River Water Quality
  • Lead in Drinking Water
  • Radioactivity
  • Waste and Recycling
  • Landscape Character
  • Landscape - Historic Change
  • Landscape - Woodlands
  • Landscape - Ponds
  • Landscape - Farm Size and Type
  • Countryside
  • Heritage Assets
  • Wildlife
  • Traffic Levels
  • Global Atmosphere
  • Air Quality
  • Quality of the Urban Environment - Housing Condition
  • Quality of the Urban Environment - Urban Extent
  • Quality of the Urban Environment - Noise
  • Environmental & Social Deprivation
  • References
  • Appendix - How the indicators have been measured
  • Lancashire Environment 2002: What do you think?
• Landscape
• Minerals and Waste
• REMADE in Lancashire
• Public Rights of Way
• Ranger Service
• Rural Partnership
• School Grounds Development
• Structure Plan
• Waste Management

Lancashire Environment 2002

Quality of the Local Environment - Housing Condition

Across Lancashire, housing vacancy levels have remained fairly constant over the period. Vacancy levels are higher in eastern areas of the County, reflecting relative low demand in these housing markets, the type of housing on offer and the condition of properties.

Similarly, problems of unfitness in the housing stock tend to be concentrated in the eastern districts of Lancashire. The latest information shows problems to be worst in Hyndburn, Rossendale, Burnley and Pendle, districts that have also experienced the greatest rises in unfitness levels since 1991.

The condition of the existing housing stock is acknowledged as one of the biggest problems facing Lancashire and the North West region as a whole.

The condition of existing housing appears to have close links with broader social, economic and environmental problems across the County. Those areas with the most serious problems in terms of empty and unfit homes are those with higher incidences of deprivation.

What is the role of LCC and other agencies?

The information on vacant and unfit dwellings is used in the formulation of District Council's Housing Strategies to inform Government Office assessments.The data provides a basis for considering Government spending allocations, and resources provided to other agencies such as the Housing Corporation. At the local level, declaring housing as unfit allows action to be taken by the local authority to seek necessary repairs or, possibly, demolition.

The County Council is not a housing authority and as such its powers to directly intervene on this matter are limited. However, the County Council does use this information to develop strategic planning policies in the Joint Lancashire Structure Plan. The County Council continues to campaign to regional and national Government for more concerted efforts to tackle these problems.

Source: Government Office North West
*figures for these years have been omitted due to statistical anomalies.