£250k rescue plan considered for Great Yarmouth's crumbling Star Hotel

A historic Great Yarmouth hotel could be handed emergency repairs worth £250,000, as the council looks to secure its roof and begin preparing a compulsory purchase order.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council's Cabinet is being asked to approve the spending on the Star Hotel, a Grade II-listed building on Hall Quay.

The hotel has stood empty for nearly seven years and is subject to an ongoing fraud investigation into its ownership.

Vandalism and anti-social behaviour have damaged the building's fabric during that time, according to the council.

The authority has already spent £42,000 securing and protecting the site, despite it being privately owned.

Officers say efforts to force the hotel's owners to maintain the landmark have so far failed, and its condition continues to worsen.

Councillor Carl Smith, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: "It is absolutely heart breaking to see the Star Hotel disintegrate in front of our eyes.

"It is a fine and historically important building which holds so many memories for everyone in the borough. The council has been working hard behind the scenes to try to make the freeholder face up to its responsibilities and care for the Star in the way it is legally obliged to.

"However, the people of the borough are essentially victims of the fraudulent activity behind the hotel's complicated ownership and failure to maintain it. The fact the company which owns the building is based offshore means securing action is extremely complex.

"It's extremely disappointing that, despite the involvement of law enforcement agencies, it is the taxpayers in Great Yarmouth who now face paying the bill for what the owners should be doing."

In a report to councillors, officers said the authority should not normally have to intervene in a privately owned building, but that public money needs to be spent because the owners have abandoned it.

Officers are recommending Cabinet members approve £250,000 for urgent work to secure the roof and prevent further deterioration.

They are also recommending the council begins preparing a potential Compulsory Purchase Order, which could eventually allow the Star to be repaired and brought back into use.

Ownership history

The hotel was sold in 2020, after which its owners sold individual rooms on long leases, but promised renovation work never happened.

The property was then transferred in 2021 to 36644 Ltd, a Maltese-registered company.

Title deeds show there are 42 leaseholders based in the UK and nine other countries.

Officers said work will continue in an effort to recover costs from the freeholder or leaseholders.

If approved, the £250,000 would fund the urgent roof work and allow officers to carry out the surveys, valuation, legal and technical work needed to inform a future decision on a compulsory purchase order.

The council said further capital investment would be required for any future acquisition and redevelopment, and that a detailed funding strategy would need to be developed, including external funding opportunities.

The report says there has been positive liaison with Historic England, including support for redevelopment, and that there may be an opportunity to apply for Heritage at Risk grant funding of up to £1m.

A further £1m has been identified from Great Yarmouth Town Board's Pride in Place programme, which could contribute towards regenerating the site.

Councillor Smith said: "Responsibility for the condition of the Star Hotel sits with the private owners, but we simply can't stand by and watch it fall into further disrepair given the building's local importance, heritage value and role in the regeneration of Great Yarmouth.

"It seems completely absurd that a small council with such a limited budget is forced to pay for the problems private businesses impose on our community. But we have no choice but to step in before this historic building deteriorates further.

"Everyone wants to see The Star brought back to life and it seems the only realistic option at this point is for the council to get involved."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.