Council starts work to make crumbling Newport hotel safe

The council said it had instructed work to be completed after court-ordered deadline expired

Work will be started to make a crumbling hotel building safe after the owner failed to meet a court deadline to take action.

The owner of the Royal Victoria Hotel in Newport, Shropshire, was given until 21 February to make the building and supporting structures safe.

A health and safety inspection had previously found the property was in a bad condition.

Telford and Wrekin Council said it had instructed teams to begin the work.

Owner Roger Brock previously told BBC Radio Shropshire the hotel would have to be demolished after a structural report highlighted damage that had left him with no other option.

At the time, he denied deliberately letting the building fall into disrepair.

In 2021 planning permission to turn the hotel into apartments was granted.

Independent councillor Peter Scott said the hotel had been dubbed 'the shame of Newport'

'Eyesore'

"Let's be honest, it's an eyesore," said Independent councillor Peter Scott. "It's now being dubbed the shame of Newport."

He said the council and wider community do not object to the building being turned into flats but just want it to look like it used to and most of all "want it to be completed".

In a statement, the council said: "Despite early progress made to address the safety issues by the owner, progress stalled and we were notified that his contractors had been put on hold."

It added that alternative proposals for the building had been put forward by the owner but were not supported by any qualified person.

"As a result, the council has now instructed the works to be completed in accordance with the relevant regulations - so that the work done is appropriate, and most importantly, that it is safe," the authority added.

It also confirmed it was looking to recover the cost of repairs from the owner and would implement further measures to safeguard the building.

A community cafe has had to shut as it is directly behind the crumbling hotel

An exclusion zone had been previously set up around the building, closing St Mary's Street, one of the town's busiest roads.

The Hub, a community café run by The Newport Youth Café Project, had to shut due to their base being directly behind the crumbling hotel.

"It's really frustrating because we have 20 young vulnerable adults that we support and it's a big part of their life to come here and work in the café and interact with other people," said Liz Bickford-Smith.

"It's a big hole in their week when the café isn't open.

"We're right next door so we've watched what's going on," she added.

"Scaffolding has been up over four years and we've never seen any maintenance."

'50% of profit gone'

Business owner Thomas Peach blames the road closures around the hotel for a dip in profits

Thomas Peach runs a vaping shop on the high street and said he has lost about 50% of his profits due to road closures around the hotel.

"In this current climate that is a hell of a lot," he said.

The local authority apologised for the disruption, saying safety was its main priority and that businesses on the street remained open to the public.

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