HCA: Camelot in 'Empty Homes Toolkit'

Homes and Communities Agency publish Camelot in the 'Empty Homes Toolkit'

Protection by Occupation

There are enough vacant properties in England to provide hundreds of thousands of people a home. Many agree that it makes sense to bring these empty properties back into use however there are often many obstacles facing both property owners and the neighbouring community.

In early 2011 The HCA launched the Empty Homes Toolkit with the aim of pulling together the skills and practices of a large range of people and organisations experienced in bringing homes back into use. The toolkit is designed to offer information and advise to a range of audiences who have a front-line role in tackling the challenges posed by empty properties.

The toolkit aims to answer questions that are frequently asked such as:

This September the HCA published Camelot's case study, illustrating a unique and pro-active approach to protecting and utilising empty property.

The Case overview - Grahame Park, Collindale

Camelot took on the Grahame Park project in September 2010 as the first phase of the fourteen year re-development plan for the whole Grahame Park Estate. Camelot's role is to act as the security contractor and advisor within the decant project. We have successfully achieved the first phase of the decant working on six residential blocks of flats where we have protected the voids through occupation with Live-in Guardians.

The project seeks to provide an effective security solution whilst offering hundreds of people a home that is low cost and would otherwise be wasted space.

For each phase going forward Camelot will make safe and habitable each of the new phase of flats and place live-in guardians in situ. The project currently houses over 100 guardians, providing affordable housing for the next 14 years allowing Choices for Grahame Park to focus on redevelopment plans rather than reacting to the continual crime and vandalism issues that were occurring before the Camelot solution was implemented.

Once complete, the regeneration project implemented by Choice for Grahame Park and Barnet Homes will provide over 4000 homes with gardens, improved green spaces and better community and health facilities.

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