Empty homes in Richmond will be used to provide affordable housing in a pilot scheme by the council.

On Monday night councillors agreed to grant funding for a two-year Empty Homes Grant Programme, intended to bring back long-term empty properties into use for affordable housing and to meet the demand for temporary accommodation in the borough.

Figures from council tax records currently indicate that there are 399 homes in the borough that have been out of occupancy for a period of six months or more.

Councillor Liz Jaeger, vice-chair of the Adult Social Services, Health and Housing Services Committee admitted the scheme “isn’t something terribly new, and is something that this council has done in the past”, but said she was “very much in support” of the plan.

She said there had been an increase in empty properties since the previous scheme run by the GLA had been stopped in 2016, and that other boroughs who operated their own empty homes system, such as Wandsworth, had been “very successful” keeping these numbers down.

Since 2016 Wandsworth Council has seen 63 units successfully apply for Empty Property Grant funding, and a further 114 units being brought back into use without the need for a grant.

The homes were then used for affordable and in-borough temporary accommodation.

Under the new plans in Richmond owners would be able to apply for a grant of £25,000, and the property would be leased to the council for a period of five years.

Officers said only one grant payment will be allowed per owner per financial year, or a maximum of five grants if units are at the same address.

This will prevent a single developer or landlords with large portfolios using up all the grant money annually or abusing the grant system.

Provision will be made for five grants to be offered within the first year, which will be reviewed when setting next year’s capital programme.

The proposals also include the appointment of a fixed-term Empty Property Officer to help identify properties which are considered to be empty.

This role will be paid at £53,650 per annum for a period of up to two years.