The Ocean Hotel in Sandown will not be tidied up in the near future after its owners appealed an enforcement notice.
In recent years, the hotel has become one of the Island’s biggest eyesores after it was abandoned.
It has been the subject of vandalism and arson attacks — including one last year which saw 100 firefighters tackle a blaze which affected all four floors.
The Isle of Wight Council has now taken action, after becoming aware of issues affecting the site since 2019, serving a notice to the hotel’s owners, Phoenix Commercial Property Development, ordering them to clean the building up.
The authority has previously said the building’s appearance significantly harms Sandown and has been attempting to work with the owners to have the site tidied and secured but says it has has had very little communication with them.
The notice was issued by the council in February but came into force in March, giving four months for the work to be carried out.
By May 11 (today), 13 actions had to be complied with at the site which included:
- Removing the steel supports from the former entrance canopy fronting the Esplanade
- Cutting vegetation down to ground level, removing the waste and applying a suitable weedkiller
- Removing all building materials, litter and vegetation across the site and on the access steps and boundary walls
- Cutting back hedgerow
- Removing trailing ivy
- Repairing boundary fencing next to the High Street
- Cleaning all windows and door glass panes fronting the High Street
- Cleaning the door and window canopies serving the main entrance and first-floor windows of the Kings Bar
By July 11 the council needed to see the hotel’s High Street frontage cleaned and then any flaking paint or defective reader removed.
However, the owners have now appealed the notice, effectively pausing it.
Any work on the site will now not happen until the appeal has been determined.
An initial hearing will be heard at the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court on May 20.
Should the council be successful in defending its serving of the notice, the court would confirm updated compliance dates.
A council spokesperson said the authority does have the power to undertake the clean up work itself and recover the costs from the landowner but it can only be done after the notice has expired.
It does not relate though to securing the site, so the council is investigating whether other powers to do so can be found under the Building Act.
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