A Peterborough city council officer who is responsible for bringing empty homes back into use has won the Empty Homes Practitioner of the Year Award 2014.

Empty Homes Officer Adam Cliff was announced as the winner at the National Empty Homes Conference award ceremony in Birmingham. He was highly commended for the same award last year.

The panel was impressed with the work that Adam had done as part of the Empty Homes Partnership in Peterborough. The partnership between the city council and Cross Keys Homes supports the owners of empty properties to identify the best way to return a property to use and make the most of it financially.

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They also highlighted Adam’s determination to work with the housing market to highlight empty homes to potential investors.

Sharon Malia, Housing Programmes Manager for Peterborough City Council, said: "Adam's tireless dedication to tackling the number of empty homes in Peterborough has reaped results, seeing the number of long-term empty properties drop to 430.

"Adam has raised the profile and importance of carrying out empty homes work, ensuring that the topic remains high on the political agenda and in the public eye - he is a real asset to the council.

"Often a long-term unoccupied home blights a street by attracting vandalism, crime and sometimes drug and alcohol abusers. The buildings fall into disrepair by not being lived-in, and the job of reinstatement becomes far more difficult and expensive. Targeting empty homes benefits a whole raft of people including those who live nearby, the property owners and people looking for somewhere to live."

Adam joined Peterborough City Council as Empty Homes Officer in July 2011 following completion of his BA degree in Property Development & Architectural Design at Derby University. Since starting, his intervention has brought 418 long-term empty properties back into use.

(CD/MH)