Court order gives Newport hotel owner 14 days to make building safe
Telford Magistrates Court has given the owner of a hotel in Newport 14 days to make the building and its supporting structures safe.
The Royal Victoria Hotel in Newport has been neglected by the owner for a number of years and Telford & Wrekin Council sought a court order to force the owner to take action.
An inspection by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and ongoing investigation by the council found that the building and scaffolding could not be demonstrated to be safe.
A spokesperson from Telford & Wrekin Council said: “The Royal Victoria Hotel is a significant concern and our number one priority is the safety of our residents.
“Having secured the court order, the owner of the hotel will now be forced to take action and make the building safe in the next two weeks. If that doesn’t happen, the council will step in, do the work needed and recover the costs from the owner.”
The road and footpath directly outside the building have been temporarily closed as part of an exclusion zone in the interests of public safety.
Businesses outside the exclusion zone remain open as usual and can be accessed by customers on foot via High Street.
The spokesperson continued: “We understand that the exclusion zone around the hotel will cause some disruption. We’re doing what we can to minimise this but we need to keep people safe.
“We will be working closely with people in the community to review the situation and keep them informed as it develops.
“Most importantly, we want to get this sorted as quickly as possible, so we will be pushing the owner to do the necessary work with urgency."
