Pots and pans sit unwashed in derelict house for 13 years
A house that has been derelict for more than 13 years will go under the hammer after council chiefs were given permission to sell it.
The Government handed Stafford Borough Council permission to sell the house on the town's Tixall Road in the town after an application was made.
The property has attracted a string of complaints from neighbours over the years, with residents critical about the house's poor condition.
The owner of the property died in 2013 with the council unable to trace any next of kin, despite extensive searches being carried out.
It saw them apply to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for consent to make a ‘Compulsory Purchase Order’ (CPO) – which allows the local authority to take control of the house.
Stafford Borough Council now has ownership of the three-bedroom, semi-detached house which will be sold at an auction next month with a reserved price of £99,000. A condition of the sale will be that the buyer brings it back into use within a set time-frame.
Councillor Jeremy Pert, cabinet member for communities and health, said: "In the first instance we look to work with owners of empty or run-down properties to help bring them back in to use - and last year we assisted more than 75 homeowners to successfully do this.
"Empty properties are a wasted resource which can quickly become a blight to the community – but we have a range of measures where we can help the owner, or their next of kin, make their property habitable.
"Obtaining a CPO is always a last resort as it can be a lengthy legal process which is why we would much rather work with people to remedy the situation in other ways."
He added: “This has been an exceptional case in which we have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure we can get this property back on the market and I am sure with the right investment and works it will make someone a nice home in the future.”
