Rescue mission begins for historic Royal Victoria Hotel after years of neglect
Telford & Wrekin Council will begin repairs to protect the historic Grade II listed former Royal Victoria Hotel on St Mary’s Street in Newport.
The 194-year-old building, which is privately owned, was previously approved for conversion into flats, but work was halted in 2020, leaving the structure exposed and unprotected.
Since then, the building has continued to deteriorate.
In January 2023, the Magistrates issued a notice requiring the removal of dangerous elements at the site, but the council has had to carry out the work itself.
In July 2023, the council issued repair notices to the owners of town Centre Properties, which were ignored.
As a result, the council is now pursuing a Compulsory Purchase of the property.
To address the worsening condition, the council served an urgent works notice in March 2024, which the owners also ignored.
With no response from the owners, the council has now hired contractors to carry out essential repairs, set to begin next week and expected to take about 13 weeks.
The council intends to recover the full cost from the owner.
Councillor Richard Overton, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for highways, housing and enforcement, said: “Time and again we have tried to work with the owners of the Royal Victoria Hotel, yet time and again they have ignored court orders and legal notices.
“Most recently we served an Urgent Works Notice, in March this year, for work to be carried out to protect the fabric and structure of this Grade II Listed building. Town Centre Properties have failed once again to comply with this, something which they have a track record of doing. Town Centre properties have failed to safeguard the statutorily protected building and have failed to keep this site structures on site safe, putting the public at risk.
“Therefore, we have no option but to carry out these urgent works ourselves and will be recovering the full costs from the owners. Alongside this we are also working to secure a Compulsory Purchase Order on the building, at minimal consideration, to safeguard this listed building’s future.
“We appreciate that these works can cause some disruption, so contractors will work to keep this impact to a minimum and do not anticipate the need for any road closures.”
