CASH secured by Barnsley Council from developers behind new housing estates across the borough will be injected into buying up emptying properties.
The project, approved by ruling cabinet members on Wednesday, will be run by Barnsley Council and Berneslai Homes’ investment and regeneration team, alongside Barnsley Community Build (BCB).
Section 106 money – which is set aside by developers as part of their planning permission – totalling £450,000 will be ploughed into the scheme, which has identified six derelict homes.
It will be added to by two other empty homes funding streams which collectively give a further £150,000, taking the overall total to £600,000.
Since April 2018, more than 300 properties have been brought back into use by the council, according to Coun Tim Cheetham.
He added: “This programme is a great opportunity to work with partners to continue reducing the number of long-term empty properties.
“We’ve had a good amount of properties brought back into use and this is an enhancement on that, allowing BCB apprentices to have valuable on-the-job training.”
