Newport hotel will have to be demolished, says owner

A court-ordered deadline to make The Royal Victoria Hotel in Newport safe expires later

A crumbling listed hotel branded an "eyesore" by fed-up residents will have to be demolished, its owner has said.

Roger Brock told BBC Radio Shropshire a recent structural report highlighted damage at The Royal Victoria Hotel in Newport that had left him no choice.

A court order issued on behalf of Telford and Wrekin Council demanding he makes the site safe expires later.

The authority said it had "no intention" of allowing the building in St Mary's Street to be demolished.

An exclusion zone was set up around the building, forcing the closure of one of the town's busiest roads, after health and safety inspectors found the property was in poor condition.

Telford Magistrates' Court gave the owners 14 days to fix the scaffolding, which has been up since 2019, and Councillor Peter Scott said there were "no excuses" for leaving it until the last day to start work.

Mr Brock, director of the firm that owns the Grade-II listed building, said a "scaffolding redesign" has been submitted to the authority and he hoped he would get the "green light" so they could begin work.

The owners were given 14 days to fix the scaffolding which has been up since 2019

The council said it was a "top priority" to make the building safe and re-open the street as soon as possible.

Mr Brock said delays in developing the site had been initially caused by planning issues and asbestos, before the pandemic shut down demolition and structural problems worsened.

'One excuse after another'

"Following the latest structural engineer's report, the building hasn't got a life any more and it will have to be demolished," he admitted.

He denied allegations he had let the hotel fall into disrepair on purpose, adding: "No, definitely not, I would not have wished that at all."

Planning permission to turn the hotel into 17 apartments was granted in 2021 but work had stalled over issues with car parking, according to Mr Brock.

He said he still planned to submit a modified scheme for fewer flats to the council.

"I can't say how sorry I am that these difficulties have arisen," he added.

Councillor Peter Scott said there were no excuses for waiting until the final day of the order to make the site safe

Mr Scott, however, said the council was not in favour of demolishing the building and that it was not the only option.

But, he said the safety of the residents was more important than anything.

'Businesses struggling'

"It's one excuse after another, it's just not good enough," he told the BBC.

"Businesses in St Mary's Street are really struggling, they need that exclusion zone lifted and Mr Brock needs to get on with doing the job he's supposed to be doing, [which is] putting the building back to where it should have been, developing it properly, and making it safe.

"He's had until today to get started and he hasn't - we need the scaffolding made safe as soon as possible, within days, not weeks and months. We cannot afford for that to happen."

In a statement, the council confirmed Mr Brock had provided a safe scaffolding design and sought contractors, adding it had requested a deadline from him for the completion of the work.

"We want to reassure the public that our intention is to protect the building and we have no intention to allow it to be de-listed and demolished - works will include replacing the scaffolding and removal of the chimney," it said.

"Our top priority is to make the building safe and remove the exclusion zone as soon as possible."