19 Hawley Square break ins

In the last week, we've sadly had to report a spate of break-ins at 19 Hawley Square. The building is Grade II listed and was, in better days,  The London Hotel. The building had previously had been sold to a housing association, then later becoming part of the portfolio of Orbit South. I've previously reported about Orbit South's failed attempts to get planning permission for conversion to tiny one bed flats and bedsits that were below their own minimum space standards. The purpose they stated at meetings with residents, was to obtain planning permission before selling on the property for the benefit of Orbit South's overall portfolio. 

Thanet District Council purchased back the building in 2011 from Orbit South for £75,000 to "bring a derelict building back into use and allow the Theatre Royal to expand its operations."  Earmarking 19 Hawley Square for the Theatre Royal has been the Council's stated intention for quite a few years. However, these intentions seem to have been ongoing for years and all the while a Grade II listed building is falling into ever greater disrepair. The building has substantial water ingress and dry rot. It's clear this situation shouldn't be allowed to continue indefinitely.

One has to wonder why Orbit South, allowed the listed 19 Hawley Square to fall into such a serious state of disrepair knowing its status as a designated heritage asset. The public may well now ask themselves how this affects Thanet District Council, who by buying the building have taken on the responsibility of the consequences of neglect. Depressingly, this was my post on the news of the Theatre's plans for the building back in 2011 and also Orbit South's Managing Director, Vivien Knibbs, also 2011. 

This is the third Grade II Listed large scale Georgian building on Hawley Square that is standing in a sorry state for years, exposed to the elements with seemingly no end in sight. 47, and 48-49 have both stood like gaping teeth having suffered arson attacks.
But these are Listed buildings. There is legislation to enforce their upkeep and protection from willful neglect. They are, by way of their listed status, eligible for funding. The Council purchased 19 Hawley Square in a bad state of repair and in the ensuing years the condition has worsened through lack of maintenance and repair. 

The Council list the property on their asset list:
19 Hawley Square is item 712, and is curiously listed as 'freehold and occupied'! The building has been empty for years.



Returning to this week's spate of break ins.

Worryingly, at the beginning of last week, children were seen entering the building at night with flashlights. This poses an obvious health and safety risk given the poor state of the building.

Today, two men were seen entering the building with a metal crow bar. They'd climbed up the scaffolding and entered through the easily accessible windows on the first floor.

Police attended and later this evening a Thanet Council Building Control Officer. The police contacted the company advertising on the scaffolding as responsible for security. The company stated their alarm, which didn't appear to work, was in place to protect the scaffolding and not the building.
Tonight the rain continues to fall into the buildings left with insufficient roof coverage.

Some may wonder how the Council's planning department can require of the public a standard of care for heritage assets in the face of this ongoing situation?

Are works to 47-48 Hawley Square such a success?

47-48 on the left and 49-50 on the right

According to the TDC press release, grade II listed 47-48 Hawley Square, badly damaged in an arson related fire a couple of years ago, is a great success through emergency repair work carried out by TDC's Building Control. I'm unsure how this level of work to a listed building after a fire two years ago can be deemed a success. The release states:

"The Conservation and Building Control teams tried to get the co-operation of the building owner to restore the property, but with no success. During this time, the council has repeatedly secured the site to prevent unauthorised access and have been monitoring the stability of what remains of the structure."

But 47-48 Hawley Square is subject to a series of recent planning applications to errect a full storey rear extension. This has recently been approved (F/TH/10/0194) under delegated powers with the following comments:

"This is a resubmission further to refusal of ref: 09/0625 and ref 09/0664. These applications were refused for the following reasons:-

- That the size, scale and design of the development would detract from the setting of the existing building and prove severely detrimental to the character and appearance of the listed building and conservation area.

The proposed development has been amended and the extension made smaller and the design altered to be sympathetic to the appearance and character of the existing building. Informal discussions were carried out with the conservation officer before submission and this scheme was found to satisfy issues raised in the first submission."

So if building control and conservation had not managed to communicate with the owner, how can recent discussions have taken place to agree modifications for the four storey rear extension to allow create flats?

And what warranted the writing of the press release for these works by TDC? We understand the owner is also the developer of the Reeves Yard site opposite the Tudor House.

And while we're looking at that little section of Hawley Square, let's remind ourselves of the utter state of next door 49-50.

The magnificent ex-Conservative Club building which has stood open to the elements with no roof covering and no repair works since the fire. Recent plans were afoot for a compulsory purchase order to the tune of £10,000 to bring this grade II listed building back under TDC control. We've learned these plans have been curtailed at the 11th hour when papers were about to be served because TDC has too many CPOs on the boil at the moment!

Really? How many and where are these?

But this does not negate the owner's responsibility to maintain a listed building and if they are not doing so that the authorities can and should move to prevent further damage. At the very least, a temporary tin roof and support to the facade. It is only through example that unscruplous property developers will learn to avoid speculating in listed properties in Thanet. Ownership of a listed property comes with responsibility. The state of this fine building standing in a state of ruin from fire from the last two years is a scandal.

49-50 Hawley Square - Still waiting for repairs

Over a year on from the disastrous fire and we're still waiting for something to happen to begin to repair 49-50 Hawley Square.

Why has a temporary tin roof not been erected as a minimum to stop water getting in?

Surely the owner of such a prominent listed building has a responsibility not to just leave it to rot and the authorities have the power to deal with the owner?