THE owners of empty properties could be forced to sell them under plans being drawn up to ease the shortage of affordable homes.

A Hambleton District Council housing policy is due to be formally adopted next month.

It is the first time the authority has put together a strategy to target the problem.

Under the plan, research would be carried out into the circumstances of each empty home in Hambleton and a grant or equity loan system would be developed to return long-term empty homes to affordable occupation.

A campaign would take place to help communities understand the problems of empty homes, and enforcement action would also be taken in certain circumstances.

A council spokesman said: "It is our intention to work informally with the owners through advice, assistance and negotiation to try to bring an empty property back into use.

"However, if necessary the authority will exercise its statutory enforcement powers to compel an empty property back into occupation."

In 2004, the authority used its powers under compulsory purchase legislation to buy underused property and adjacent land in Leeming Bar.

Houses have since been built on the site, including 13 units of affordable housing for local people.

Under the strategy, properties that attract anti-social behaviour and are in a dangerous condition would be targeted, with priority given to buildings in Northallerton, Thirsk, Bedale, Easingwold and Stokesley.

The spokesman said: "There are, on average, 400 empty dwellings in Hambleton at any one time and of these, approximately 50 per cent are transactional, ie they have been empty for just over six months but are reoccupied within 12 months.

"There is a small, but significant, problem of long-term empty properties."

A survey in Hambleton three years ago found more than 2,200 households were in some form of housing need. The spokesman said: "We now need to maximise the use of all empty properties, whether they are residential or commercial premises.

"The vision that supports this strategy is of Hambleton, where all local people can access the housing market, where housing is decent, safe and used to its best capacity."