A terraced house on the outskirts of a town centre is being bought by a local authority to stop it sliding into serious disrepair.

The long-term empty property is in Coleridge Street in Blackburn's Griffin area.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has come to an agreement with the owner to buy it before seeking a compulsory purchase order.

A report to colleagues by the authority's regeneration boss Cllr Quesir Mahmood says: "As part of the council’s commitment to bringing empty properties back into use, this property has been evaluated.

"It scores highly due to the fact the property has been empty since August 2022 and is currently in a poor state of repair.

"This pavement-fronted mid-terraced property is situated in the Blackburn Central ward of the borough and is set in a residential street consisting of similar properties.

"This terraced block formed part of the Griffin Renewal Area where 165 properties were identified for clearance and others benefitted from grant-funded schemes that improved the external appearance of each row of terraced houses.

"The terraced row containing this property was identified as requiring action in the longer term, however, the removal of Housing Market Renewal funding by central Government resulted in the inability to complete the renewal area, leaving the terraced row in its original condition.

"The property is situated adjacent to the Griffin phase two development site which has been identified for multi-tenure housing.

"It is essential that the appearance of the property is improved prior to the commencement of build on the site which will attract potential buyers to the area.

"In its current condition, the property would contribute to a negative impression of the area as a whole.

"The external condition is poor and neglected, which is having a negative impact on the local neighbourhood."

Cllr Mahmood said the property has been the subject of complaints regarding its condition from both local councillors and residents, including:

  • the general poor condition and appearance of the building;
  • the fact the property continues to remain empty: and
  • fly tipping in and around the rear yard.

He added: "Substantial efforts have been made to contact the owner to encourage him to bring the property back into use.

"However, his personal circumstances require that the property be sold quickly.

"A purchase by agreement in this case will allow the council to ensure that it is refurbished to a good standard and re-occupied in a timely manner."