BEXHILL residents are to be asked for their views on proposals that could eventually force landlords to offer long-term vacant shops for rent through auction.
Rother District Council’s cabinet agreed on Monday, September 14, to consult on potentially designating part of Bexhill town centre as a High Street Rental Auctions area.
The designation would give the council powers to require landlords of persistently empty commercial properties within the area to offer leases through an auction process.
Regeneration officer Thomas Fitzgerald told councillors that other authorities had seen vacant properties brought back into use simply by starting the process.
He said: “Looking at some of the other early adopters, most of the experiences so far have been that, by the process of going through designation and pre any actual auction occurring, that the activity itself has led to a number of vacant properties becoming let.
“The movement towards designation and some initial notices has spurred the landlords to maybe take some action.”
Before an auction could be held, the council would have to serve a notice on the property owner. The landlord would then have an opportunity to appeal.
Mr Fitzgerald said he was not aware of any council having held an auction using the recently introduced powers.
An audit commissioned by Rother District Council examined 439 commercial units in Bexhill town centre. It identified 384 occupied properties and 55 vacant units, giving an overall vacancy rate of 12.5 per cent — slightly below the national average.
However, the council report said the empty premises were “clearly clustered”, with London Road recording the highest proportion of vacancies.
Not every vacant property would qualify for the scheme. Government rules require premises to have been continuously unoccupied for at least 365 days, or vacant for a total of 366 days during a two-year period.
The proposed designation would cover parts of Albany Road, Albert Road, Buckhurst Road, Clifford Road, Cranfield Road, Devonshire Road, Endwell Road, Eversley Road, Linden Road, London Road, Marina, Parkhurst Road, Sackville Road, Sea Road, St Leonards Road, Station Road, Town Hall Square, Western Road, Wickham Avenue and Wilton Road.
The consultation will ask residents and other interested parties whether these areas should be included.
