DERELICT houses across Tendring are to be targeted in a bid to bring them back into use.

There are 760 privately owned properties across the district that are empty.

Those houses that are derelict and attracting anti-social behaviour will be targeted by Tendring Council, which has approved a new empty homes strategy.

Paul Honeywood, cabinet member for housing, said the authority had been working on bringing such homes back into use since 2009 and had achieved some success.

“Under the Local Plan process the council is now looking at how many new homes we need over the next 16 years,” he said.

“However, we have had concern for sometime that we also have this large number of empty properties and we aim to continue to tackle that situation and bring some back into use.

“If a house is empty, but is well looked after, we will not be showing as much interest as properties that are run down and attracting anti-social behaviour, or are a danger to the public.”

Of the 760 empty homes, 200 or so have been empty longer than three years and almost 300 have been empty less than a year.

Mr Honeywood said the strategy introduces a system of prioritising the council’s approach by scoring properties to guide officers on which need tackling first.

Owners will receive an initial approach with suggestions on how the home can be brought back into use.

Depending on the response this could result in an offer of financial assistance to renovate the house or in exceptional circumstances a compulsory purchase order.