The owners of an eyesore property in Sandown have failed to carry out improvement works, despite being handed almost £8,000 in fines and costs.
Graham Assets Ltd and its company director, Moses Meisels, were prosecuted by the Isle of Wight Council last year for not complying with a Section 215 notice relating to a large run-down building on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Station Avenue.
They are yet to satisfy the requirements of an Isle of Wight Council Enforcement Order which had a 10th January deadline – inaction labelled ‘disappointing and frustrating’ by councillor for Sandown South, Ian Ward.
County Hall officers will now put together a case for further legal action against the owners and consider additional options.
Cllr Ward has said:
“It is disappointing and frustrating when owners seem to deliberately obstruct the law.
“This building has changed owners in the past to avoid planning enforcement action. Unfortunately, once something becomes a legal matter the court processes can take many months to conclude.
“Understandably, residents think that nothing is happening although the council and I are doing all we can to tackle the problem.”
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County Hall issued a notice relating to the building under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in July 2023 which listed an ‘extensive list of repairs’. It had a 6-month compliance period beginning on 31st August 2023.
By March the following year, the council concluded ‘no works had been undertaken’, meaning the notice had been breached.
At an 8th October Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court hearing, no one from the mainland-based Graham Assets was present but the ultimately successful prosecution case continued without them.
County Hall previously said its prosecution highlighted its ‘commitment’ to ‘actively enforcing’ against the owners of buildings falling into dereliction.
Attempts have been made to contact Graham Assets and Moses Meisels for a comment.
The majority of slumdown is rundown,it’s embarrassing,but hey I will expect the council tax will go up again for nothing to be done
The council has the power to compulsory purchase the property, just get on with it, stop dragging this out.
In theory yes, but doing so would require it to comply with its own timeframe for repairs, plus the costs as well as costs for the purchase…and it doesn’t have several hundred thousand already ear-marked in the already tight budget. If they had any sense, however, they’d do what we do and borrow. Better still, the government could be the ‘lender’ for councils to bring back all these buildings into habitable use, making a small profit and helping the housing crisis. Shame no-one’s listening, isn’t it?
Why the delay!!
These eyesores are affecting the economy of Sandown.
Businesses are in tough times, the last thing they need
is Sandown being twinned with Beirut!
The INCOMPETENT Council are responsible for allowing this to
go on so long, all other businesses should be given a
Council tax/Business rate reduction to help them.
WHY SHOULD BUSINESSES PAY FULL taxes/rates for a
town that looks like it was bombed overnight and the
Council have not cleared up the mess!
IW Council have the cheek to charge holidaymakers and
locals 50p to use the toilets in Sandown
SANDOWN IS 1 BIG TOILET AT PRESENT DUE TO THESE
DERELICT HOTELS
Was the fine ever paid?
Not Turdtown for nothing..