There are hundreds of publicly-owned properties that are “dead space” – and Greens are leading a campaign to bring them back to life!
Sian Berry, Green London assembly member, published a report last month that revealed 66 industrial units, 80 retail units, 65 offices, a golf club house, a civil defence bunker and a woodland have been lying empty for shockingly long lengths of time- one for 16 years.
Sian wants to help borough residents across the capital to use wasted spaces to enrich their communities.
Sian said: “Now is the time to empower local people, councils, and charities to take these spaces over, and I want to see action from the Mayor and Government”.
Key recommendations of the report include:
– making it easier for local authorities to use compulsory purchase powers
– enabling more use of orders to bring privately owned space back into use
The report recommends bringing in new powers- a community ‘right to buy’, already in use in Scotland, so groups can more easily buy ‘dead space’ and bring it back to life for the benefit of residents.
Link to report https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2022_06_dead_spaces_sian_berry_am_final.pdf