Exclusion zone around crumbling hotel could have 'catastrophic' effect on town's economy
An exclusion zone around a dangerous Newport hotel could be a 'catastrophe' for the town if it remains in place for more than a couple of weeks, a councillor said.
Newport's former Royal Victoria Hotel, known as The Vic, has been surrounded in scaffolding for about five years.
Fears over the safety of that scaffolding and the structure of the hotel has led to Telford & Wrekin Council temporarily closing St Mary's Street and footpath directly outside the building in the interests of public safety.
The closure order is for 21 days.
While access to the southern end of the street will remain to allow deliveries to businesses where there is no other alternative and pedestrians can still access them on foot via High Street, Newport councillor, Peter Scott, says the exclusion zone could have a worrying effect on the town's economy.
"I can understand why we have to have this exclusion zone for safety reasons. The scaffolding is not safe and something has to be done," he said.
"But it will take out about 50 car parking spaces. This will mean motorists looking for spaces in our already busy car parks.
"While our traders can grit their teeth and deal with it for a couple of weeks or so we can not allow the exclusion order to go past the 21 days. We have to have a resolution by then," Councillor Scott said.
"The exclusion order around The Vic is going to be a huge inconvenience for our business and our residents. We need to support our traders and closing a road, while for the right reasons, could be catastrophic for the economy."
Councillor Scott said the exclusion order would badly affect Tylers Electrical on one side of the hotel and The Hub with its community cafe and facilities on the other.
"The owner must sort this out," he said.
"The scaffolding, which is not safe, has to be replaced.
"The council has done its due diligence and the exclusion order is in place. But we will be pushing to ensure that something is done quickly. Newport can not afford for this to go on and on."
Planning permission was granted in November 2021 for the site to be transformed into 17 apartments, with parking provision to the rear of the site.
A spokesperson from Telford & Wrekin Council said: “Our absolute top priority is to ensure our residents are safe, so we are taking the appropriate action in light of the ongoing investigation.
“This is a privately owned Grade II Listed building which has been neglected for a number of years. We will be seeking a court order to force the owner to remove the dangerous scaffolding and ensure the structures are safe. It’s just not acceptable."
