Residents raise concerns about empty houses in village near Leamington
The three properties at 9 to 12 St Michael’s Close, in Bishops Itchington, are owned by Orbit Housing and have been empty for some time.
Orbit has previously applied to demolish the three houses and replace them with 11 units.
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Hide AdBut these applications have been withdrawn due to issues between Orbit and the Stratford District Council, whose planning department is concerned about overdevelopment in the road.


Residents living nearby are concerned that, at a time when housing is needed, these properties are not being put to use and that the front gardens are not being tended too, causing an eyesore in the road.
Pete Edmunds, a resident of St Michael’s Close, said number 9 next door to him has been empty for about seven years and numbers 11 and 12 for about 12 months.
He said: “There are so many people out there struggling to find a home so why don’t they [Orbit] either rent them out again or sell them?”
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Hide Ad"I’ve contacted Orbit about this problem over the years but they just seem to pass the buck.
"What’s more, the grass outside these properties is about four foot high and that should not be allowed.
"We’ve had this problem every year over the years.
"It seems like they can’t do anything with them but the solution is obvious to me and everyone else living in this road.”
In response, Orbit Housing have said: “We are aware that the gardens of some of the homes at St Michael’s Close have become overgrown and are arranging these to be cut as soon as possible.
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Hide Ad"We are committed to maintaining the gardens more frequently moving forward and apologise that the grass has not been maintained to the standard that we and our customers expect.
"We encourage any customers and local residents who have any further maintenance concerns to contact us directly.
“We are reviewing long term options for these homes and will continue to update our customers as appropriate.”