A council looks set to ditch its ‘untidy sites’ policy which only launched a few years ago after it was branded ‘hollow’.
A task group which looked at the ‘lack of demonstrable outcomes’ since it came into force has recommend South Holland District Council retire its Derelict and Untidy Sites Policy and replace it with ‘a robust guidance signpost document’.
A report by the authority’s strategic and operational property manager Marc Whelan to its Performance Monitoring Panel meeting next week states: “The policy had proven largely duplicative of existing statutory powers available.
“The policy did not fill a gap in service delivery or governance, nor did it introduce any new powers or frameworks beyond existing procedures.
“Its presence had not demonstrably improved outcomes or operational efficiency and was considered hollow in practical application.”
The policy was hailed as a ‘first of its kind’ when it was launched in late 2022.
