Demolition option for historic Newport hotel looms larger for mayor

The Royal Victoria Hotel in St Mary’s Street, Newport, now has very visible signs of decay and neglect on the outside with trees seemingly growing out of parts of the structure.

Asbestos has also been found at the Grade II-listed building, said Telford & Wrekin Council, which added that it will be removing the substance.

Councillor Thomas Janke, the Mayor of Newport and a borough councillor, said he believes that demolition of the Grade II-listed building may ultimately prove to be the only option.

Councillor Janke (Liberal Democrats, Newport South) said: “The Victoria Hotel has unfortunately become a significant eyesore, and the cost of making it safe enough to begin any form of redevelopment, I imagine, has escalated dramatically.

“While we hope demolition isn’t being considered at this stage, it may ultimately prove to be the only cost-effective, safe, and practical option.

“Given the building’s deteriorating condition and the prolonged legal complications surrounding it, a difficult decision may soon need to be made.

“No Newport councillor wants to see such an outcome, but if the structure continues to decline, the risks will only grow, making action increasingly urgent.”

Telford & Wrekin Council said it remains firmly committed to protecting the Royal Victoria Hotel and is using legal channels to pursue a Compulsory Purchase Order.

A Telford & Wrekin Council spokesperson said: “When the owner of the Royal Victoria Hotel failed to comply with the Urgent Works Notice, the council took decisive action to safeguard this important Grade II-Listed building.

“Our intervention was necessary to prevent further deterioration, and the costs will rightly be recovered from the owner.”

The authority spokesperson added: “Subsequent surveys identified asbestos on site — an issue the owner had overlooked in their own assessments.

“While the removal of asbestos is not required under the Urgent Works Notice, we have appointed specialist contractors to ensure all work is carried out safely and in line with best practice.

“Telford & Wrekin Council remains firmly committed to protecting the Royal Victoria Hotel and is actively pursuing a Compulsory Purchase through legal channels to secure its future.”

In a statement to the BBC last year the building’s owner Roger Brock said that that council bosses had “consciously frustrated my efforts to implement the planning consent for 12 flats that the council passed in 2018”.

Mr Brock previously had expressed a desire to see the scaffold-covered building demolished after a report highlighted structural damage that he said had left him with “no other option”.

But the council flatly rejected the proposal, saying it would not allow the hotel to be torn down.

This week Mr Brock declined to comment.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I do not feel inclined to give a reply.”