I live in a terraced house where the property next door has remained empty for 20 years. I know who owns it, but he won’t do anything with it.
You could talk to your local councillor about the possibility of the council taking over the property through an Empty Dwelling Management Order. Most councils have an officer responsible for dealing with empty property. These days you can petition the council to bring about changes to your area, so if you can get everyone in the street involved your petition may carry more weight. If the council contacts the owner of the house about his plans for it, it might at least prompt him into action.