A strategy for derelict buildings (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

A strategy for derelict buildings

8:37am Monday 6th February 2012 in Our View By Telegraph & Argus

The issue of derelict property has blighted the Bradford district for too long, and this newspaper has campaigned vigorously for action to be taken to bring some of it back into use.

It will come as no surprise to anyone to learn that firefighters are increasingly concerned about the number of disused buildings that are at risk of fire due to rough sleepers and thieves who scavenge scrap materials.

A new report reveals that there are thousands of empty properties in the district, and the fire service is in the process of assessing which of those are the most vulnerable to fire.

Its Arson Task Force will then look at ways of making particularly vulnerable buildings safe, securing them where possible.

While this initiative is welcome it does not tackle the core issue. It is little more than a sticking plaster over a much bigger problem, which is what we do with these thousands of empty mills, schools, factories, shops, pubs, houses and other properties that can be found throughout our urban areas.

And it keeps coming back to this: how are we allowing these properties to remain in this condition when at the same time, letting our green spaces go for development?

We have hundreds and hundreds of properties at risk of falling down of their own accord, vandalism, theft and arson.

Boarding up a few of the most vulnerable will not get anywhere near to the crux of the problem.

The Council has to come up with a coherent long-term strategy for bringing as many of these buildings as possible back into residential use.

That will not only reduce the risk of the sort of huge blazes we have seen at some of the district’s disused mills over the last year or so – it should also alleviate the pressure to concrete over the green spaces around the city.