Council to prosecute after owners of derelict hotel fail to comply with s. 215 notice

Plymouth City Council is to start legal proceedings to prosecute the owners of a large derelict hotel after they failed to comply with a Section 215 / untidy land notice.

The Section 215 notice in relation to the Quality Hotel in Plymouth expired on 10 August. It formally required that the owners complete the following work by then:

• Repair, or replace, all broken glazing panels in the vacant hotel building, or completely board over each of the broken glazing panels with grey coloured wooden boarding;
• Remove all graffiti from any part of the building and surrounding structures, including any on any boundary walls, fences, &/or wooden boarding;
• Remove all debris (broken glass, timber, plastic, building rubble etc.) from the ground surrounding the building.

A site visit by a council planning officer on 11 August confirmed that the work had not been completed.

Cllr Philippa Davey, Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities for Plymouth City Council, said: “We have given the owners plenty of chances to clear up the site but they have failed to do anything about it.

“It is not acceptable for buildings to be left to fall into such a state of disrepair and I hope this sends a clear message to property owners that we will take legal action if they fail to comply with our requests.”