The owners of a listed building in Gravesend town centre which was severely damaged by a fire, have been served with a legal enforcement notice to improve the condition of the site and secure it.
The former New Inn pub on the corner of Milton Road and King Street, Gravesend, was destroyed by fire on May 27, 2022, and was investigated by police and fire services at the time.
Initial efforts to work with the owners to tackle the site were delayed when they applied unsuccessfully to Historic England to de-list the building, a move opposed by Gravesham Borough Council, which believes that if a building is listed then it should be preserved.
Many attempts have been made to work with the owners of the site and ensure they took responsibility to clear and preserve the site in line with the law for listed buildings and these attempts have been unsuccessful.
In June, the council served a Section 215 notice on the owners of the premises, which came into effect on the 11 July. This followed a period allowed for in law, which provides for those served a Section 215 Notice to lodge an appeal against it.
The notice requires the owners to appoint a RICS certified historic building professional to supervise all works, including assessing the building's structural integrity and materials. That includes identifying components and materials that can be salvaged and reused, and materials that can be responsibly disposed of.
The notice also requires all salvaged material be stored in a secure manner, either on site or elsewhere.
The owners must also improve the site hoardings.
Following the notice coming into force, Cllr Shane Mochrie-Cox, Gravesham Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Business Development, said:
“I understand and share the frustration and anger of local residents and businesses that this key site in the town centre has been in a state of ruin for three years now. The reality is, it is a privately-owned site, and local councils actually have very limited legal powers to compel the owners to take action in situations such as these."
“Initially, there was a period where nothing could be done while Historic England considered the owner’s application to de-list the site – a move we resisted whole-heartedly and ultimately successfully.”
Cllr Mochrie-Cox added that the council understood the challenges and additional expense owning a listed site brought for the owners and had made efforts to work with them to help overcome those while ensuring that taxpayers did not have to pay for this private site.
He said: “We have made genuine and repeated attempts to work amicably with the site owners for the good of the town, but despite initial reassurances that work would start, the site remains a blight on the town centre.
“Enough is enough, and the serving of the Section 215 notice is considered a last resort after those offers of help and support have been ignored.
“The owners have until October to comply with the notice and our enforcement officers will be monitoring progress closely. Failure to comply is a criminal offence and opens those responsible up to potential court action.”