Alan and Katy Jackson Britain's Empty Homes

Across the country, empty properties that could be homes

are waiting to be brought back into use.

I'll be finding out why, and what YOU need to do

to rescue a house for yourself.

And along the way, I'll be doing some digging of my own,

to find out more about our housing stock, our heritage,

and why we should be reinventing and preserving Britain's empty homes.

Empty properties left in a state of disrepair can blight

an otherwise picturesque street.

But for people with energy vision and ambition,

these empty buildings have huge potential.

Not only affordable, these empty shells allow buyers

to put their own unique stamp onto their future home.

Today, I'll be meeting a father and daughter team who're about to

take a leap of faith by tackling a conversion of their own.

-Space, air, light.

-What a space. Lovely.

-Masses of space.

We'll be joining the UK's Empty Property Officers

as they battle to save our forgotten homes.

Crikey, Martin, it's bad, isn't it?

If we end up on top of that, we're going to be

-in all sorts of problems, aren't we?

-Yes.

'And I'll be heading to the Sussex coast to do some investigating of my own.'

You get a really good view of these arches and some of the tiles at that end.

It's really beautiful, but incredibly run down.

'Civil engineer Alan Jackson and his daughter, actress Katy,

'think they've got what's needed to take on an empty property.

'Alan lost his wife after a long battle with cancer.

'Now he wants to start a new life by swapping London's suburbia

'for the countryside of the south east.'

I have an opportunity now, without any responsibilities.

The children are grown up, so I have no ties to be anywhere.

And I would love the opportunity to take a property on and be able

to put it into a style of my own.

It's very much an opportunity to express myself

and some of the things that I would like to do.

Katy had a big win on a TV game show,

and has decided to invest her cash in a house with her dad.

I think a big project for him would be really good,

especially after the last couple of years that he's had,

and everything else.

I think something to get absorbed into is something good for him.

Yes, I agree.

I'm going to take them to see an example of the type of property that they might buy,

which should provide them with some food for thought.

I'm meeting them in the picturesque village of West Hoathly in West Sussex

to help them work out just how ambitious a project

they're prepared to take on.

-Morning, guys. I'm Joe.

-Hello, Joe. How you doing?

-Hi, Joe.

-Katy.

-Yup.

What is it you're after? What are you looking for?

I love the idea of renovating a property that is in some distress or empty

because, for a start, I can put my own stamp on it as to what I would like it to be.

Other than that, the house is less important to me

than some of the things I'd like to put in the outbuildings,

if there are such things. I do have a couple of old MG cars

which I've had for a while, and a ridiculously large train set

which I've been itching to get out since my 5th birthday.

So those are important features as well.

I think, without more ado,

we should take a wander down the road and see this property.

-Yeah.

-I'd love to see it. Take us there.

-Let's go!

West Hoathly offers all the charms of village life,

but is a mere 38 miles outside London.

You've got the lovely church, you've got a pub.

-Here it is.

-Wow!

-Hey!

Welcome to West Hoathly chapel.

-Wow.

-Gosh.

Now, as you can see from up there, 1904, that's the date

of the brick structure on the left.

The building on the right, which is clad in wood,

-actually goes back to 1820.

-Wow.

-Gosh.

-So, much older.

-Yeah.

-Unusual. Definitely unusual.

-Uh-huh.

-Yes. Not many of these.

No, there aren't. Well, there's no traffic, so let's cross over

-and have a closer look.

-Let's have a go.

The pair have a combined budget of £500,000 to spend on the property and the renovation,

and I'm keen to find out just how much work they're willing to undertake.

-So, here we are.

-Wow!

-I suppose this is the main chapel.

-It's huge.

-It is huge. Look at that!

Space, air, light.

-What a space.

-Masses of space.

Lovely. Gosh, that is wonderful.

Before falling vacant, Hoathly Chapel was the heart of the community.

-You get a little glimpse of daylight, don't you?

-Yeah.

It was built in honour of the former Countess of Huntingdon,

a local hero and radical figure in the area in the 1800s,

who opened private chapels attached to her residences.

What are your initial thoughts?

It's in better condition than it might have been.

Doesn't smell damp. Perfectly restorable.

And you mentioned blank canvas when we spoke. This does reek of blank canvas.

There isn't even a canvas, so there's no canvas to be blank.

It's a fabulously interesting project.

The layout of the floor, how you make it all work would be interesting.

How open plan you want it.

What's really nice about it is, I always have this image of old, uninhabited properties

not being very light or spacious or bright, and there's so much light in here.

OK, well, don't worry about dividing it up just yet.

-Keep it all open in your mind and we'll have a look at the other areas.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Right.

-So, here we have the kitchen area, there.

Would've been where people made tea and coffee for the chapel, I suppose.

-And then down the stairs.

-There's a big hole in the roof, here, Joe.

-Yeah, that might contribute to damp.

-LAUGHTER

-Architectural feature.

-A bit of rain water in.

-Yeah.

Gets a bit damp down here.

-Wow.

-So, here you have another, actually quite unusual space.

-You don't expect this when you first come in to the chapel up there.

-No.

There's a possibility of changing headroom and bringing other levels.

-It may be possible to get three floors here.

-So there we go.

-This could be a study, or utility room.

-Absolutely, absolutely.

-Yeah.

The chapel is on the market for £250,000.

Developers bought it in its current state

and secured planning permission to turn it into a residential dwelling.

They're now looking for someone to snap it up and reinvent it.

Interestingly, the chapel isn't a listed building,

which means Alan and Katy would have free rein to convert it in any way they choose.

It's a wonderful space.

We've had some fabulous ideas as to what you could do with that.

-And the ideas you've had, have you been of one mind on that?

-Yes.

-Mm. Basically.

-Basically.

So it's a starting point. Seems to have got you going. It's got the ideas flowing, has it?

-Yeah. Great idea. I love it.

-Mm.

-Brilliant!

It'll take a lot of hard work and dedication

to turn the chapel into a modern home.

And Alan and Katy have to be aware of what they would be taking on.

But it could just be the labour of love that Alan is looking for.

Later, I'll take them to see a property of a similar scale,

which I hope will inspire them to see the chapel's potential.

Many empty properties remain in a sort of no-man's land

where they can sit abandoned for years,

simply because the owners won't or can't bring them into use.

Now, it's the job of the Empty Property Officers

up and down the UK to try to change the fortunes

of those forgotten homes.

Thanet's Empty Property Officer,

Mike Thompson is on a quest to resurrect Kent's derelict homes.

Off to Clifftonville today to check on the structural stability

of a property we've just acquired through compulsory purchase powers.

It's a long-term empty, been a thorn in our side for many years,

and I've got a colleague meeting me there from our building control section

to give me a professional opinion on what the state of the building is.

This neglected house has been left empty for eight years,

and the council have now taken possession

in a last-ditch attempt to save it from total ruin.

Today is crunch time for the Victorian terrace.

Mike is meeting up with Building Control Officer, Martin Parnell,

to decide its fate.

Can it be saved, or is it beyond repair and heading for demolition?

-Hello, Martin.

-Hello, Mike.

-Nice to see you again.

-Gosh, that looks sad, doesn't it?

-That's why I've asked you here.

Want your professional opinion on what the problems are in there

and whether we can save it. We're desperate to save it if we can.

I rather suspect there may be more behind that than we can first see.

-OK, then.

-Take a look?

-Have a look round, shall we? Fine.

Thank you very much.

Round the back of the property,

the tell-tale signs of neglect are clearly visible.

This is the problems you get with a long-term empty property.

-The state of it.

-All and sundry dump.

From the passageway, we can look up through that top window

and see sky. Straight through the roof. It's fully exposed.

Looking at it externally, there's nothing giving me major concerns.

Appearances can be deceptive, though.

Mike and Martin need to get inside

to see the true extent of the damage.

-This board comes off.

-Right.

-This one stays attached to the window

-and it'll open and give us access.

-OK.

We've seen the picture from the outside.

That comes away nicely.

Down there. Out the way.

-Right.

-OK, it's the moment of truth, then.

-It is indeed.

See if we can get some indication of what we've got.

-Oh, dear!

-Crikey! That's pretty dire, isn't it?

-All right to jump down there?

-Yeah, should be OK.

-Cheers.

-Good.

-Crikey, Martin, it's bad, isn't it?

-It is.

-All forms of water ingress.

-We got wet rot in here, dry rot.

-Good heavens, look at that.

You can't tell how bad these things are

until you get inside the buildings.

Well, that's structural. So if we were to end up on top of that,

-we'd be in all sorts of problems.

-Yes.

Cos that's not fit for carrying anything, is it?

Let alone us on top of the floor.

Isn't it a shame how people let these properties go? It's got everything.

I don't think we need to venture further.

No, that's bad enough.

With the structure so unsound, it isn't safe for Mike and Martin

to go any further without the expert advice of an engineer.

Even I can see there's serious problems there.

It's a great shame, isn't it?

I hope it doesn't jeopardise the building's future.

I hope it's salvageable, saveable. Even with problems like that.

I think it can be salvaged, certainly,

but the work that's necessary is going to be more extensive

than perhaps we at first thought or hoped.

Which, of course, means more time and consequent expense.

Expense, yeah. So, worst fears in here, not so bad outside.

Perhaps we should've stayed outside.

Well, that might not have been quite the news I was hoping for,

but it wasn't all bad. I'm still very hopeful,

ever the optimist, that we can save it.

I'm going to go back to the office now and engage the services

of a structural engineer to give us an informed opinion, now.

And I'm still hopeful we can save it.

The work of the Empty Property Officers makes a huge difference

in the preservation and regeneration of our communities.

But clearly the battle to rescue Britain's empty homes can't be won

without the people brave enough to renovate the properties themselves.

In the more remote corners of the country,

there are plenty of empty buildings up for grabs.

But in areas of outstanding natural beauty, like West Wales' Llyn Peninsula,

you often need to think creatively to get your building project

signed off by the local planners.

Michelin-starred chef and hotelier Chris Chown and his wife Gunna

did just that when they renovated this spectacular cottage.

When we saw this, it just seemed kind of cute.

Inside, it was a timber frame and it was painted in pinks and turquoises.

We just thought, inside, it's actually really homely,

despite the fact, outside,

it just looks like a rusty, corrugated iron shed.

In its former life as an old tin shed,

this property had been on the market for over four years,

despite interest from a number of potential buyers.

Several other people had tried to get planning

to demolish the original tin shed and put a new build on,

but the local planning laws are very tight indeed.

But having fallen in love with the place and its location,

Chris and Gunna were determined to come up with an innovative solution.

The challenge was to keep the footprint of the original building,

but get a decent size out of it.

And so our solution to that was to

dig into the mountainside behind

and put what is, effectively, a separate building,

which then has a turf roof on it.

So when you stand on the road behind,

you can't actually see that there is an extension to this building at all.

The planners were happy to accept that.

But it's given us a three-bedroom house.

This ambitious renovation project was a real labour of love.

It took a while to do.

It took maybe two-and-a-half years in all.

Because a lot of it was seeing how we went.

It wasn't really designed, if you like. Sort of a design evolved

as we discovered how much space was available.

Despite the many complications they experienced,

Chris and Gunna wouldn't have had it any other way.

If you've got a bit of vision and you're prepared to persevere

with planning, with building regs

and all the things attached to that nowadays,

then I think it's fantastically rewarding to do your own thing,

and I would recommend it like a shot.

In Brighton, East Sussex, like so many coastal towns,

new housing is in great demand, particularly on the seafront.

Which is, of course, prime location.

But should the need for new homes

lead to the demise of some of the UK's architectural treasures?

For developers, the seaside means great views

and the perfect place to put up modern high-rise apartments.

So councils have a tough choice -

go with such developments and help ease the housing shortage,

or try to safeguard some of the beautiful old buildings

that make up our seaside heritage?

And Medina House is a case in point.

Originally part of the Medina Baths complex

which was built in 1893 by Hove Bath And Laundry Company,

it was at the forefront of the movement that gave Brighton its nickname - Queen Of Bathing.

Empty since 1997 when its owners sold up and moved to London,

the current owner bought the property with a view to knocking down

what's left of the baths and building a new development of flats.

I suppose to some people, this building might be a bit of an eyesore.

Others will see the beauty that's still within it.

I've arranged to meet some people

with a keen interest in exactly what happens next.

I'm meeting Robert Edwards, a member of the Regency Society Of Brighton And Hove,

who lobbies to save the city's defining architecture.

-Hi, Robert. How you doing?

-Hi, lovely.

-Nice to meet you.

Thanks for meeting me here. Now, we have Medina House behind us.

What's so special about it? What is Medina House?

Well, it's all that remains

of Hove's and Brighton's Victorian bathing heritage.

1890s, it was built.

The Turkish baths, which it's quite well known for, were added in 1911.

-OK.

-It's been used for all sorts of things over the years, though.

It is in a state of disrepair now. How long has it been in that state?

It's been... Around 15 years it's sat there doing nothing.

So not adding anything to Brighton and Hove,

just sitting there as a mess, yeah.

But it is owned by someone, there's no question there is an owner?

Yep, there's an owner.

They've put forward all sorts of planning applications.

They're proposing knocking it down and starting again

-and using the land to build something?

-Yep, afraid so.

-Right.

The developer has since said he wishes to carry out a sympathetic development,

building to a lower height than proposed in previous applications.

But I'm curious to find out how local residents feel about Medina House.

-Do you know much about this building?

-I do, I've lived here for quite a long time,

and I've seen this go from a beautiful property to the state it is now.

-It was occupied by a lot of kids at one point.

-Squatters?

Squatters, they were, but they had a little gallery

and they had loads of artwork and stuff inside.

But you could see the architectural beauty of the building inside,

-which hadn't been touched.

-So did you go inside?

Yes, I went inside, I was welcomed in, I was shown through,

and I couldn't believe how beautiful it was inside.

With squatters currently in residence, I can't get in.

You can just see beautiful, kind of ornate

blue tiles in an arch.

But I'm really keen to see some of the architecture.

You get a really good view of these arches

and some of the tiles at that end.

It's really beautiful, but incredibly run down.

And I think that's only in the last decade or so

that it's got into that state. Which is so sad, really.

I suppose if this was just another villa in Brighton or a terraced house,

there wouldn't be such a fuss.

But this is Medina House. It's the only one of its kind.

Of course there's a problem, a quandary here, but hopefully

there is a compromise in this that local residents and the developer involved can come to

whereby, yes, they provide some accommodation,

but they also preserve a slice of this very special British heritage.

'Back in West Sussex, Alan Jackson and his daughter Katy

'are trying to decide if taking on an empty property is for them.

'They've already viewed a disused chapel,

'but I want to show them a fantastic example

'of just what can be achieved with a once-derelict building.'

Ahead of us, Hooklands Farm Barns.

'And who better to get advice from than professional barn builder Steve Brewer

'and his partner Sarah

'who are close to finishing the transformation of old barns into a beautiful home.'

When we first viewed the property,

it was very overgrown, very ramshackle.

Two of the buildings were immanent of collapse

and had to be shored up immediately.

But held no big surprises, no scares.

Over the last 18 months, Steve and Sarah have painstakingly

renovated one of the larger barns and the small milking parlour,

and have joined the two with a new-build extension.

For anybody considering taking on a project of any size,

don't underestimate the amount of effort that it will take,

both physically, financially.

It will highlight any weaknesses in any relationships

because you're working together on the project.

You're both there all the time. It's not always easy.

I think to bring any empty property back into usage

and turn it into a home is the most rewarding thing you can do.

-Come on in.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

-Wow!

-Wow.

How satisfying is it when you've got these old timbers,

and it was a hayloft, to now make a room out of it

and to, kind of, bring it to life in a new way?

Satisfying? Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, my aim with these barns

is to retain as much of the original as you can.

And even if you have to take bits out,

they can always be re-used within the build.

-So we've used all the original bricks we dismantled.

-Yep.

Every bit of oak that comes out gets re-introduced somewhere else,

so it stays within the building.

-So this is something you're happy with, it's finished.

-Mm-hm.

On the other side, it's still a work in progress, is that fair?

-Very much so, yes.

-Yes, shall we go through and have a look?

Yeah, show us through.

'Just like the chapel that Alan and Katy looked at earlier,

'this was originally one big area, and I hope it might give them an idea

'of how a large space could be made into liveable rooms.'

You can really see how it's piecing together here.

Clearly you want to be as sympathetic to the building as possible and re-use bits of it.

Is that what you've done in here as well?

We've kept the character within the building.

And I think it makes for a more sympathetic build.

But what this enables you to do, is to live in a house

absolutely cram-packed full of character,

and add character, but you get the mod cons.

We're going to have underfloor heating through here, we're going to have solar power.

So you can get the lovely old character,

but you can have all the brand-new stuff.

ALAN: The oak is superb. Is it particularly expensive, the oak?

So far we've been very, very clever, I would say,

with finding a decent priced product for whatever we were doing.

Obviously, stuff like the oak, it's integral to the build - shop around.

Don't take the first price, cos the difference in price

that we got back from the cutting list was absolutely incredible.

-200%.

-200%.

If you guys had to sum up your final advice in a few words,

the things you've learned from this,

what would be the key things that stand out?

Plan everything.

Erm, and just don't underestimate it,

and just keep going.

Later, I'll be finding out how Alan and Katy feel

after seeing the barn renovation.

But first, it's back to Margate, where Empty Property Officer,

Mike Thompson, is on a mission to save Kent's architecture.

Mike's on his way to the former Arcadian Hotel,

a favourite with holiday makers during its Victorian heyday,

but in recent years, it's been left empty and abandoned.

I'm here in Margate today to come and visit Geoffrey Berger,

the developer of a building known as the Arcadian, on the seafront here.

This is a long-term empty property

that's been a thorn in the council's side for many years.

But Geoffrey's taken ownership of the building now, with the council's assistance,

and has transformed the exterior into something quite remarkable.

Much more like it would've looked in Victorian times.

The plan is to turn the building into private flats.

-Morning, chaps!

-Oh, hello!

-Hi, Geoffrey.

How are you? Nice to see you again.

Tony, nice to see you. What a difference!

-Yes.

-It's fantastic outside, isn't it? You've made a brilliant job.

And this is a bit different from last time I saw it.

-We're getting there.

-Many problems?

Not recently. I think most of the problems were overcome

when we did the exterior. And internally it's been fine.

This is becoming a show flat, as you know, so it's taking shape.

So this'll be the first to be completed, then?

Yes, that's right.

-Time frame for the show flat?

-Should be next week.

-About a week.

Next week? Good.

-Let me show you what's happening in the rest.

-Thanks, Geoffrey. OK.

When the project's completed,

there will be 14 luxury seafront apartments.

The view from here, we all agree, is tremendous.

What a fantastic room! Double aspect.

-Lovely high ceilings.

-And full of light.

Going to be a superb flat, isn't it?

Wow!

What fantastic views! Aren't they superb?

Absolutely brilliant. Takes you back a few years.

That's what the Victorians must've felt like.

The building is in Margate's conservation area,

and the developers have gone to great lengths to ensure it's restored to its former glory.

You've got the right detail on the roof,

the double roll. Corrugated, as well.

Finding somebody to do that is not easy.

It was difficult. And it's been mitred on that corner

and the opposite corner. So it was quite difficult.

-Don't you admire the Victorians? They were doing things like that all the time.

-Yes.

-Never had to search for someone to do it. Incredible.

-Quite a skill.

That has to be one of the most rewarding aspect of my job.

Going in and seeing a complete transformation like that.

From a pigeon-infested long-term empty,

named and shamed by the local civic society as a town shame.

To see it transformed like that into homes for people,

and everybody locally will soon forget how bad that used to look.

And they'll sing its praises, I'm sure.

Credit to the developer, and to the contractor.

It's a great job, and I've been proud to be involved with that one.

Back in West Sussex,

Alan and daughter Katy are on the hunt for an empty home.

After viewing a converted barn,

I'm keen to find out what conclusions they've drawn.

So, guys. Having seen Steve and Sarah's project here,

what do you make of it?

They're doing a fantastic job. It's great. I really love the inside.

And seeing the pictures of where it was to where it is now,

and hearing how they've recycled a lot of things,

I find that quite appealing and really nice.

-In terms of the scale of this and the finances and everything...

-Yes.

..has it given you a good perspective on what your thoughts are?

It's probably given me a feeling that this is a bit more

than I would want to undertake.

The chapel we saw ticked quite a few boxes.

I think it certainly wouldn't work as a family home for us, I don't think.

Not quite. I think there might be other properties than that that we would look for.

The chapel maybe isn't right for various reasons, but the scale is right.

The scale is right, absolutely.

So we know that properties are out there like that, so hopefully

we've helped get you started, put some thoughts in motion.

You have, and there's an expression which is "the longest journey starts with the first step,"

and you've helped us make that step today, so we're looking to get going, and I'm ready. My bags'll be packed.

It's been a pleasure. I'm pleased we could help with the first step.

-Thanks, Joe.

-Thank you very much.

Anyone can buy a house, but clearly not everyone has what it takes

to tackle a full-scale renovation like this one.

Now, what I like about Alan and Katy is clearly they have vision,

they have a creative streak

and hopefully they've got the determination to see this through

and find an empty property with room for two cars and a train set

which they can turn into their dream home.

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