Owners of empty homes in Worcester are being urged to bring them back into use to provide much needed rental accommodation. Since April 2019, Worcester houses which have been unoccupied for two years or more are subject to a Council Tax premium aimed at discouraging people from letting homes sit empty. This week is National Empty Homes Week h...
Worcester City Council has commissioned a study to assess the condition of people's accommodation and is urging householders to respond if they receive a survey. The survey is being carried out by Opinion Research Services which has sent out letters to 4,000 randomly selected properties across the city asking residents for their opinions on their c...
The public can now have their say on ambitious plans for the major regeneration of Worcester's Shrub Hill Quarter. A six-week public consultation has been launched into a draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which sets out proposals for the revamp of the 14-hectare site, including more than 500 new homes, new public spaces, and the capacity...
Ambitious plans for the major regeneration of Worcester's Shrub Hill Quarter are set to be considered by Worcester city councillors. A formal Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) sets out proposals for the revamp of the 14-hectare site, including more than 500 new homes, new public spaces, and the capacity for the creation of up to 5,000 new jobs....
Worcester residents in need are to be given gift cards for local charity shops to enable them to buy clothes and other essentials. Worcester City Council is working with the national Charity Shop Gift Card scheme to deliver the 'essential items' part of its Discretionary Welfare Assistance Scheme (DWAS), which supports people with immediate financi...
Tenants in rented accommodation are being reminded of the steps that can be taken to deal with damp and condensation in their homes – and to know when to contact a landlord to take action. Most homes suffer from damp to some degree, but the good news is that it can usually be dealt with by making a few simple changes. However, if the problem is exc...
Privately rented self-contained flats in converted houses in Worcester are set to be checked to ensure they meet safety standards, including adequate heating and fire safety measures. Housing officers from Worcester City Council are working in five areas of the city to find privately rented homes that have been split into separate flats – know as H...
Additional licensing for Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) in Worcester will be rolled out to all remaining wards, if councillors back the scheme. When the City Council's Communities Committee meets next week, councillors will be asked to approve the change which will mean that HMO properties with fewer than five occupants will need to be license...
Worcester residents are being asked to give their views on a new housing strategy that sets out how the needs of city residents will be met over a 20-year period in Worcester and the wider county. The draft Worcestershire Housing Strategy sets out proposed policies for meeting the future housing needs of people who live in the city and county and a...
Tenants and homeowners in Worcester are urged to keep an eye out for damp and mould in their houses; to know how to make simple changes which can reduce the issue - and when to call in the experts. Most homes suffer from damp to some degree, usually caused by condensation in the home. However, if the problem is excessive, it could be caused by issu...
Worcester residents are invited to have their say on the expansion of additional licensing for Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) in the city. A House in Multiple Occupancy is defined as a property where three or more people in two or more households share a basic amenity such as a toilet, a bathroom or kitchen facilities. HMOs with occupancy of f...
Extra financial support is to be provided to Ukrainian guests and the families who are hosting them in Worcester. The City Council has agreed to use its share of a Government funding pot to help with rising energy bills and the additional costs that Christmas will bring for Ukrainian guests living in the city, among other support. For host fa...
A six-week public consultation has started on a key planning document that will shape the future development of south Worcestershire. The revised South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) allocates land for 13,240 additional new homes and 290.7 hectares of employment land to be delivered by 2041. This will help meet the Government requirement to...
A key planning document that will shape the way South Worcestershire develops over the next 20 years is set to be considered by councillors. The review of the existing South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) sets out Worcester City, Malvern Hills District and Wychavon District Councils' vision for the area up to 2041. It includes a Government ...
A consultation on a draft of the review of the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) will take place later this year, subject to approval by councillors. The Regulation 19 Publication – effectively a draft of the plan before it is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate – will be published in October when it will be considered by councillors ...
The updated South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) will not be published for consultation in July as scheduled, because work on the key documents relating to development sites and the infrastructure needed to support them is yet to be completed. More time is required to finalise the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) which is a crucial eviden...