Leeds council forcibly buys nuisance houses abandoned for TWENTY years

The two privately owned derelict buildings on Lea Farm Crescent have lain empty since the mid 1990s.

Local councillors have been inundated with complaints over the years about overgrown gardens, flytipping and the houses not being secure.

However the current owner had ignored repeated requests to tidy things up and so a Compulsory Purchase Order was considered the only way forward.

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon (Labour, Kirkstall) said: “These two houses have been empty for nearly 20 years and their condition has caused numerous problems for local residents.

“They have become eyesores and it has been incredibly frustrating that the current owner has not engaged with the council in efforts to bring these houses back up to an acceptable standard.

“I am hopeful now that the Compulsory Purchase Order will go through and local people can at last look forward to Lea Farm Crescent looking the way it should.”