The Royal Victoria Hotel is a privately-owned Grade II listed building in St. Mary’s Street, Newport.
It has been neglected by the owner for a number of years.
Following an inspection by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and ongoing investigations by Telford & Wrekin Council, the building is considered dangerous and the owner has not been able to demonstrate that the building (or its supporting structures) are safe.
What steps have been taken in the interests of public safety?
Temporary road and footpath closure, directly outside the building to create an exclusion zone.
The exclusion zone, which includes areas directly outside the building, has been put in place to protect members of the public until remedial work has taken place.
Secured a court order to force the owner to take urgent action and make the building safe.
If the owner fails to take action by 21 February 2023, the council will undertake the work and recover costs from the owner.
Instruction of works to make the building safe.
The owner failed to take action to make the building safe by 21 February 2023 - the date set by the court.
Alternative proposals put forward by the owner are not supported by any qualified and competent person.
As a result, the council has instructed work to be completed in accordance with the relevant regulations so that it is appropriate, and most importantly, that it is safe.
Works to make the Royal Victoria Hotel safe will begin on Monday 13 March 2023, we expect the work take around two weeks, as long as there are no unidentified issues which need further action.
Important information for our residents and businesses...
Parking on St. Mary's Street
We are encouraging people to use the parking bays in St. Mary’s Street only to make deliveries to local businesses or if they are a resident of the street. The normal parking restrictions apply.
Bin collections
There will be no impact on bin collections for residents in St. Mary’s Street. Residents can put bins out and they will be collected as normal.
Businesses will have their own contractual arrangements for waste collection and are encouraged to get in touch with the service they use to make them aware of the road closure and discuss any impact.
Access to the indoor market
People can access the indoor market from the southern end of St. Mary’s Street (the nightclub end).
To make deliveries, they will need to travel against the usual flow of the one-way street and exit the same way in which they entered. Very large vehicles may need to reverse down St. Mary’s Street to get access.
No other traffic will be able to flow through from the other side of the exclusion zone.
Traffic signs are now in place to support this. We are aware that this is a very tight junction and we are carefully monitoring the situation before taking any further steps.
Deliveries to businesses in St. Mary's Street
If it is possible, we are encouraging people to make use of the loading bays on High Street – outside St. Nicholas Church and the Wrekin Housing Group building – and then walk deliveries through.
People can also access St. Mary's Street from the southern end as described above.
Compensation for any loss of trade
We understand that businesses will be worried about the possible impact on trade.
If your business is impacted by the exclusion zone, we would encourage you to check your continuity of business insurance and seek independent legal advice as it may be possible to claim compensation from the hotel owner.
Get in touch and keep up to date with the latest news...
For enquiries about the emergency road closure, please get in touch with the Highways team:
Email: highways@telford.gov.uk
For enquiries about the building safety, exclusion zone and action being taken, please get in touch with the Planning team:
Email: planning.control@telford.gov.uk
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Latest news
- Visit the Newsroom to read the article about the court giving the Newport Hotel owner fourteen days to make the building safe.
- Visit the Newsroom to read the article about the Council taking action over a dangerous hotel building in Newport.
- Visit the Newsroom to read the article about how the council takes on works to make Royal Victoria Hotel safe.
- Visit the Newsroom to read the article about building works to start to make the Royal Victoria Hotel safe.