Council fury at neglect of 17th Century hotel

A leader of a council considering spending £250,000 to protect a 17th Century Grade II listed hotel has demanded the owner faces consequences for neglecting it.

Carl Smith, Conservative leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said it was unfair the authority was having to use taxpayers' money for urgent repairs on the now-derelict Star Hotel.

The North Quay building has strong historical links to Charles Dickens and Admiral Lord Nelson, but has become a target for anti-social behaviour since 2020.

Further action could force the sale of the building through a compulsory purchase order and the council has also reported the owners to the police over suspected fraud.

Problems began after its closure and subsequent sale in 2020. According to a council report, individual rooms were sold off on long leases but a promised renovation never took place.

It was then sold to a Maltese registered firm - 36644 Ltd. No individual is registered as a director of the company on Companies House.

The council said some of the 42 leaseholders "consider themselves victims of fraudulent activity".

The council has already spent £42,000 on the building to secure it.

Smith said: 'It is absolutely heart-breaking to see the Star Hotel disintegrate in front of our eyes.

"The people of the borough are essentially victims of the fraudulent activity behind the hotel's complicated ownership and failure to maintain it.

"The fact the company which owns the building is based offshore means securing action is extremely complex.

''It's extremely disappointing that, despite the involvement of law enforcement agencies, it is the taxpayers in Great Yarmouth who now face paying the bill for what the owners should be doing.''

At a cabinet meeting next week, councillors at the Conservative-led authority will consider spending £250,000 on urgent repairs to the roof, which the leader said would protect the building from collapse.

Some of this cash would also support the council begin the legal process of obtaining a compulsory purchase order.

Talks are also ongoing with Historic England about securing £1m in funding to bring it back into use.

Smith added the Star Hotel was not the only prominent historic building in Great Yarmouth that ha fallen into disrepair, highlighting the condition of the Royal Hotel on the seafront.

He said: "These private owners are not local people.

"They let them fall into disrepair. These owners really need to step up to the plate and put money back into these buildings.

"For a small council like us to have to spend this money on a building while someone else has made a substantial amount from it is totally wrong and someone should be made to answer."

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