The Isle of Wight Council is taking steps towards forcibly buying a Sandown eyesore.
Derelict buildings on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Station Avenue are the potentially the subject of the council’s first Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) since the renewal of its Empty Property Strategy in 2019.
A CPO gives the government, utility companies and in this case, councils, a statutory right to buy or take a right over property in certain circumstances.
The majority of the Sandown properties, which consist of 4 commercial units and 5 flats, have been completely empty since 2008. The building has remained in the same ownership ever since.
In 2008, the building ‘significantly’ deteriorated, falling into ‘serious disrepair both externally and internally’, according to the Isle of Wight Council, following a fire caused by an arson attack.
A report going to the council’s cabinet, next Thursday (14th January), is seeking permission to support the principle of getting a CPO to potentially bring them back into use, providing housing.
Plans were submitted by a housing association in 2010 to demolish the buildings and build 6 flats, but the association ceased operating on the Island. Due to the project stalling, and the increasing frustration of neighbours, complaints were made to the council about the property and the authority has decided again to take action.
The Empty Property Strategy was approved to bring long-term empty properties back into use and increase the supply of homes for residents by encouraging owners to make use of the property or, in more serious cases, look at formal enforcement.
The Sandown properties are considered a priority for intervention, due to the length of time left empty, and the detrimental effect they are having on the surrounding area, as it is in poor visual condition.
The buildings on Fitzroy Street and Station Avenue have also been served a planning notice due to the poor conditions, with 22 requirements to improve the land, including cutting back and removing overgrown vegetation, repaint parts of the building and improve the condition of some of the panels and doorframes.
According to the council, over the past 12 years, the authority has sent 28 letters, made 23 phone calls, sent 9 emails and held 5 meetings with the owner to try and progress the development with the 2010 project being the only plan to proceed as ‘he failed to engage’ with 2 other housing associations.
It is recommended the council agree to a CPO in principle which means a further report will come to cabinet with more details of the acquisition, costs involved and risks identified, determining the best way to proceed and seeking the formal resolution to make a CPO for submission to the Secretary of State, who will make the decision about whether it can go ahead or not.
While that is happening, the council report says officers will continue to negotiate with the owner to encourage him to bring the building back into use.
This c ouncil can never, ever be trusted to have such powers, as they are far too close to developers. IF anything needs to be done, this property should be taken and then auctioned in an open fair way to prevent the otherwise undoubted corruption when this bunch and their developer pals smell easy cash and generous padded thank you cards unseen by all but themselves.
Trouble with it going to auction, the buyer(s) could be a housing development company, and apply for planning for something much different and worse that what the council are offering, and being an eyesore at present the developer would easily get permission..
The council will need to compulsorily purchase most of Sandown then!
I dead to think what holiday makers think of Sandown you have the eyesore at the library former savoy beer Keller and now the old ocean hotel that’s like a demolition site and the kings head what a mess that is , and you have the two fire ravaged hotels along culver parade then further along the Grand hotel in its run gown state come on council get into the owners to tidy up Sandown
More than one of those sites is owned by a c llr on Sandown C ouncil. Go to the meetings, not hard to spot, as not as local as the others. So you will then understand why no-one dare say anything.
Sandown resembles Beirut to me, the place is an embarrassing eyesore..
Was this building a series of shops previously?
it looks like it may have been a corner shop with other shops each side, Perhaps pre large supermarket days, allowed in by planning permission being given by the same organisation now about to buy the deserted shops.
Maybe it was a pub !
A little Italian man, Joe Bastianni I believe used to run a fruit and veg shop there. He was a cheerful, helpful very pleasant man. Back in the 80’s I recall he was there.
if the council has money to waste buying property, then they can reduce “concil” tax bills
well they wasted millions on that Floating Bridge, and St Mary’s roadworks.. amazed they have any left
Funny how everything goes to sh1t under crooked Tories. Sandown wasn’t this bad 16 years ago.
Very clever. So why are the most run down areas of the country all labour and have been for years.
because the poorer people believed what tripe the labour candidates came out with, voted them in, the richer residents moved out, after they saw what stupid policies the labour mps implement, which destroyed their tax base and innovative resident population.
what you end up with, is areas of even worse conditions than before.
Talking about this with them for 12 years nothing like fast tracking the situation.
These buildings are not a priority for Sandown. Plenty worse derelict, empty eyesores on the main high street where development/investment is really needed and has greater potential to drive commercial income. In principle Sandown has everything going for it, great beach, pier, open esplanade areas etc. but the Council just do not seem to have any robust strategy to market their main towns.
because the short sighted greedy council and landlords are trying to charge too much for rent and rates – no self respecting investor is going to work hard at building a business, just to hand over large amounts of cash, so that self serving council staff can sip martinis at their expense.