How will I be affected?
The zones of opportunity are made up of different types of neighbourhoods, each requiring various levels of intervention and are generally split across 2 categories:
Sustainable Areas
In these areas, work will be carried out to improve the neighbourhoods, by tidying up the environment and enhancing the fronts of houses. Some new homes are being built on pockets of undeveloped or derelict land and will provide a range of different house types. Sustainable Areas form the bulk of the HMRI area.
My house is in an area that is not scheduled for demolition and re-development - what will happen instead?
Implementation plans have been developed for each renewal area, identifying areas that the council may intervene in. In some cases, it was deemed unnecessary to intervene in all parts of the neighbourhood. However, some properties and areas may benefit from investment in the housing or to the wider environment.
Plans for these neighbourhoods may include a refurbishment programme to improve both the environment and the front elevations of houses. This could, for example, include work such as new double glazed windows, rainwater goods, roof repairs, new doors and frames and dwarf boundary walls with railings and gates, to a maximum cost of £10,000.
If the property owner chooses to have the work done, there would be no direct charge to them. However, if the house is sold within 10 years of the work being carried out, they would have to repay the value of the work in full.
Property owners will be encouraged to undertake improvements to the rear and interior of their home in conjunction with this work. Surveys can be carried out free of charge, if requested.
Demolition Areas
Areas proposed for demolition generally consist of buildings that are either in poor condition, or where there is an over supply of a particular type of property, a lack of housing choice and quality or where the area has lost a significant part of its population over a long period.
These houses will be demolished and replaced with the type of homes that people want to live in. Across the City approximately 3,750 properties are proposed for demolition, out of a total of 76,000 homes within the Inner core.
To find out if your home is within a Housing Market Renewal area and is affected by the proposals, go to my neighbourhood.
What will happen to the empty houses in my street?
We will buy properties in the areas proposed for demolition in the agreed phasing order and these will be made secure so that they are as vandal proof as possible without making the street look rundown and neglected. All services to these properties will be cut off.
When demolition has taken place, the cleared sites are usually landscaped and maintained pending redevelopment.
If I am currently living in a property proposed for clearance, what will happen to me?
The process and options available to you will depend on whether you are a home owner, tenant or business owner. Click the option on the left for further details.