Council taking legal advice on derelict Grade II listed hotel

The Star Hotel in Great Yarmouth has been vandalised over the past year

A council said it was taking legal advice on what to do with a derelict Grade II listed historic hotel.

The Star Hotel, in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, closed during the coronavirus pandemic and has been vandalised and set alight over the past year.

It dates back to the 1700s and was one of the landmarks of the historic Hall Quay.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council said it was seeking legal advice about the property's ownership, which would "inform it's future actions".

Since the hotel closed, furniture and fixtures have been smashed and floors burned through.

That led the authority boarding up the building, which was listed by Historic England in 1998, to deal with repeated break-ins.

The Conservative-led council said it had been "engaging" with the owner of the property, who sold leases on some rooms to raise finance to restore the building.

That made ownership complex, the authority said.

The council said it has applied "charges" to the building to ensure taxpayers were reimbursed.