Background
In discussions about the number of properties that are available and as it were unused, the number of vacant dwellings is often cited. But there are different definitions of vacant. The one commonly used is that derived from the Council Tax Base (CTB) data released by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
The alternative is that used in the census by ONS where it refers to ‘vacant dwellings’, a subset of the unoccupied dwellings dataset.
Cornwall
The figures for Cornwall are 6,454 on the vacant dwelling list and 23,630 according to the census. So for Cornwall the census figures are 3.7 times the table 615 figure.
Area | Vacant 615 | Of cen vacant | Est other | Of cen vacant | Censusvacant | |
No | % | % | No | % | No | |
Cornwall | 6454 | 2.3 | 18.4 | 17176 | 72.7 | 23630 |
A breakdown of the total census figure of 23,630 is given below.
Empty homes = 6,279 [18%] CTB*.
Holiday lets = 9,500 [27%] Business rates.
Other 2nd/hol lets = 2,187 [6%] Difference between CTB and census figure.
Other = 5,639 [16%]. Remainder.
[Figures may not add to 23,630 due to rounding].
Unsurprisingly, at least a third are used in the leisure sector while there are a substantial number which could also be used as holiday lets but fall outside the business rates regime.
Sources
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), table 615.
Office for National Statistics,27 October 2023, Number of vacant and second homes, England and Wales: Census 2021.
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