HOUSES left unoccupied for years in Burnley and Padiham are to undergo compulsory purchase and be refurbished.

Eleven properties, some of which have been empty for more than 13 years, have often been the target of vandalism and flytipping.

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Councillors are set to agree the compulsory purchase of the properties so they can be brought back into use.

Burnley Council’s executive, which meets on March 29, will vote on the plans.

The houses are in Burnley on Oxford Road, Queen Victoria Road, Howsin Street, Brennand Street, Thorn Street and Devonshire Road.

The Padiham addresses are Beech Street, Garden Street, Station Road and two houses on Ingham Street.

A house on Halifax Road, Briercliffe, is also set to be bought by the council.

The purchases are part of a wider programme, in which the council is working with owners to bring empty properties back into use – with compulsory purchase used as a last resort.

The deals will be carried out under the council’s vacant property initiative, which sees houses that have been empty for a number of years bought, refurbished and then put back on the open market.

Cllr John Harbour, executive member for housing and environment, said: “Even with limited resources, we’re working across the whole borough to breathe new life into empty houses, improving not only the house itself but also the wider area.

“The vacant property scheme helps bring problem properties back into use, providing much-needed homes and improving the quality of life for neighbours.”

Many of the properties have attracted vandalism and fly-tipping, with neighbours reporting a negative effect on the surrounding neighbourhood.

Some of the houses have been empty for 13 years or more, and although the owners have been contacted several times by the council, they either did not respond or did not give any reasonable proposal to renovate and bring the properties back into use.

Councillors are are also being asked to agree a revised housing policy as part of Burnley Council’s ongoing drive to improve housing standards across the borough.

The measures include a selective licensing and a good landlord and agent accreditation scheme.

A total of £1.2million has been set aside for the council’s empty homes programme of which the purchases are a small part.