The owners of dilapidated Norris Castle in East Cowes must make urgent repairs within three weeks, after the Isle of Wight Council deemed the historic building’s state had ‘worsened considerably’.
The local authority has issued two urgent work notices — one for the castle and the other for its farm buildings.
Norris Castle Estate Group (NCEG) has until June 29 to complete the work or the council will do it instead and send the company the bill.
NCEG argues it would cost more than £500,000 and would only be patch repairs, which would be useless by winter.
The council and NCEG have been in talks since 2016 and NCEG originally submitted plans for the Grade I listed castle, which dates to 1799, in December 2021. It wants to turn it into a luxury hotel.
Nearly 18 months on, the plans are yet to be discussed — despite extended deadlines.
The Isle of Wight Council has now said work is so urgent it must be carried out without delay, for the preservation of the listed buildings on the site overlooking The Solent.
In January, a survey carried out by the council found the castle had widespread water leaks, resulting in extensive decay to ceilings and plaster; and dry rot in the roof, floor timbers and internal joinery.
County Hall says despite some works being carried out, ‘most were not completed or were completed so poorly they were ineffective or failed soon after.’ When asked, NCEG chose not to respond to that comment.
Clynt Wellington, NCEG director, said the company has already spent more than £1 million on repairs, and argues the castle requires structural work, which it would be committed to completing.
The total work bill is estimated at £17 million, before conversion.
The urgent works notices require the following:
CASTLE
- Install a temporary roof over the semi-circular castle courtyard roof
- Remove slate and lead on the roofs to add fibreglass
- Clean gutters and drains
- Remove existing rainwater goods and replace them with plastic ones
- Replace broken and missing glass in the skylight above the stairs to make it watertight
FARM
- Replace missing slates and remove patch repairs to roof leadwork
- Provide internal probing support to some areas of the granary and dismantle the brick chimney stack to below roof level, keeping the bricks in storage
- Apply resin repairs to the flat roofs of the towers
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