Landlords who allow buildings to fall into disrepair in an East Sussex resort are receiving letters from the council.
Hastings Borough Council said owners faced serious action if they allowed seafront buildings to become run down.
The leader of the council, Jeremy Birch, has noted down every building needing repair or redecoration.
Owners will receive a letter encouraging them to smarten up their buildings. Failure to respond could result in enforcement action.
Mr Birch said: "If you own a building in our town you have a social responsibility for its upkeep.
"The council will remind you of your responsibility and if you don't accept that we have the power to compel you to, you can be taken to court, fined or even be forced to pay after we do the work on your behalf.
"The seafront is the town's shop window. If it looks dowdy and scruffy day trippers or potential business investors will just drive on by and go somewhere else.
"We can't afford for that to happen. In difficult economic times there is even more competition for visitors and inward investors so we have to make sure the town looks as good as it can."
Monday 5 July 2010
Local Authority crack down on run down seafront buildings in Hastings, East Sussex
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/10498749.stm
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They'd certainly have their work cut out in Westbrook / Margate / Cliftonville! Excellent idea though.
ReplyDeleteWhen I occasionally visit Hastings I'm actually quite impressed with how good it looks, at least on the surface.
Makes me think of Godden's Gap on the seafront, The derelict parade around Arlington House, those crumbling buildings opposite the Turner Contemporary, the burnt out Grade II listed shell in Hawley square, right next to the Council offices and Orbit's grade II abandoned slum in Hawley Square opposite the Theatre Royal.
ReplyDeleteA crack down could make a difference here too.
Any chance of some pride around here? Or are those that could crack down, too down with the owners of buildings that blight our town?
Hawley Square is on the seafront? ; )
ReplyDeleteOtherwise I agree, & add to this the unfinished Royal Seabathing project in Westbrook & the decaying Lido in Cliftonville. It's unbelievable that "Godden's Gap" has been allowed to stay like this when the adjoining damaged buildings were rebuilt, has anyone from TDC explained why?
The seafront is important, but so is the old town. Hawley Square in a important part of the town's heritage and is surrounded by listed buildings. If we had a scheme like the Hastings one, I'd include the old town, or at least Listed buildings.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the Sea Bathing Hospital. What a mess. And the Lido.