Dilapidated Sandown seafront hotel's owners appeal clean-up order

Any work to clean up the site has been effectively paused by the owners' appeal

The owners of a dilapidated seafront hotel have appealed an enforcement order to clean it up.

The Ocean Hotel in Sandown on the Isle of Wight has been derelict for years.

Last year, more than 45 firefighters tackled a blaze that tore through the historic building and led to a police investigation.

Isle of Wight Council said it had tried to work with the owners to tidy the site but had had little communication with them.

The enforcement notice was issued to Phoenix Commercial Property Development in February and came into force in March. It allowed four months for the work to be carried out.

Court hearing

By 11 May, 13 actions should have been complied with by the owners at the site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

These included removing waste, building materials, litter and vegetation from across the site.

But Phoenix Commercial Property Development has appealed the notice, effectively pausing the action.

The appeal will be heard at Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on 20 May.

The council said it had the power to undertake the clean-up work itself and recover the costs from the owners - but only after the notice had expired.