Published Thursday 12 March 2026 at 16:44
It’s National Empty Homes Week, and we’re joining councils around the country in sharing information about the number of empty properties in our area and highlighting the work we’re doing to help bring them back into use.
In Blackburn with Darwen, there’s more than 64,400 residential properties and currently 897 properties have been empty for more than six months, 295 of which have been empty for more than two years.
Since April 2025, the team has brought 842 homes back into use in the borough, all of which had been empty for over six months. But, as quickly as they’ve sorted one, more come forward.
Whilst many homes are brought back into use within an acceptable timeframe with support of our Empty Homes Team, others sadly remain empty for much longer and fall into serious disrepair, often impacting adjoining properties and the people living there. This can frequently result in damp and mould issues.
Empty homes can also attract anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods, ranging from groups congregating at properties to vandalism and theft, which has a wider negative effect on the local area.
Our team is working hard to reduce the number of empty homes in our borough by communicating with owners, signposting them to appropriate services for advice and assistance, and using enforcement action when necessary.
One example is 17 Lisbon Drive, Darwen, which had been empty for over 14 years and had become a source of growing concern within the community with the council receiving multiple complaints relating to the ongoing neglect and poor external condition. Using compulsory purchase powers the council have successfully acquired the property following nine years of negotiations with the owner to improve and reoccupy the property.
This 2 bedroomed property requires major refurbishment works to make it suitable for occupancy once again. It will be shortly be placed on the market for sale with Thomas Va Shaw & Co. Ltd using a sealed bids procedure, enabling a new owner to take forward the required renovation and restore the property into valuable home in the borough.
Another home our Empty Properties Team is seeking to take possession of is 119 Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn which has been vacant since December 2021 and is showing clear signs of significant disrepair. Numerous complaints have been received from members of the public regarding condition of the property and extensive efforts have been made to contact the owner with no response. As a result, the team has progressed to make a Compulsory Purchase Order with the aim of bringing the property back into residential use.
Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Deputy Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:
“This National Empty Homes Week, we want to raise awareness of the fantastic work our team is doing to bring long-empty properties back to life.
“Empty properties, sadly, have a negative impact on our local communities. I would urge residents to get involved by reporting any such properties to us so that the right action can be taken.
“The Council remains committed to reducing the number of long term empty properties through a combination of advice, financial assistance, and where necessary, formal enforcement action. Each empty home brought back into use helps increase housing supply, supports neighbourhood wellbeing, and contributes to wider regeneration across the borough.”
For further information on a property, or if you’d like to report an empty home that is having a negative impact on your neighbourhood, please call us on 01254 585213 or email: emptyproperties@blackburn.gov.uk, providing the address of the empty house.