Vandalism at Broads Hotel in Hoveton, pictured in May 2011.
Ultimatum issued over eyesore Hoveton hotel
By Stephen pullinger
Broads correspondent
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
3:26 PM
The owner of a derelict hotel in the heart of a Broads tourism hotspot has been given an ultimatum to put in a planning application by the end of the month.
Jon Herbert, who has been accused of making river-front Station Road in Hoveton look like an inner-city slum, has been given the deadline by North Norfolk District Council, which will issue an improvement notice if no progress has been made by then on the Broads Hotel site.
The council’s cabinet member for localism Trevor Ivory said: “It’s a disgrace the saga has dragged on and the new Conservative administration in north Norfolk is determined to see progress made quickly.”
North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb, who has received an enormous mailbag from local residents calling for action on the hotel and another untidy site in Station Road – the riverside rooms leased by the Orchid Group – welcomed the development.
He said: “This site is an immensely important gateway to the Broads and I would hope Mr Herbert feels a sense of civic responsibility in improving its appearance.”
Mr Lamb has been pressing the council for positive action and called a meeting at the start of the year to discuss issues in Station Road with Mr Herbert and representatives from the Orchid Group, which runs the neighbouring King’s Head.
Mr Herbert, both a Norfolk county and South Norfolk councillor, insists the hotel has ceased to be viable, but long negotiations with planning officers have so far failed to agree a replacement use. He has previously stated his refusal to spend money on the site until he gets planning permission, but was unavailable for comment when the EDP tried to contact him yesterday.
Mr Lamb said he was heartened by positive progress on the riverside rooms site, the Orchid Group’s property director Paul Kotrys agreeing to improvement work.
The company had also pledged to seek an occupier for the building, possibly some community use.
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5 comments
There can be few more depressing journeys a holidaymaker, or anyone else for that matter than from the free carpark to the centre of Wroxham, down Station Road. The whole road is a mess which can only harm tourism which is, like it or not, the biggest Industry in Norfolk.
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Ian
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The whole of Hoveton including the thin layer of oil that covered the river last Saturday is an absolute disgrace.
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chucky noris
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Why is no one moaning about the Kings Head in Hoveton also, the building next door to the Kings Head is a house and pubhotel and the building is in ruins, I approached the Kings Head to enquire about the property why it was in ruins, They laughed and said the property is owned by the Kings Head and the owners dont want anything to be done to the property as this would be competition for them, WORDS FAIL ME!!!!!! so for years us locals have to put up with looking at a boarded up property, This boarded up building used to be the Best pub on the Broads in its heyday, Hoveton and wroxham parish council should be ashamed, as they should be for letting Barnes Brinkcraft ruin the riverside outlook in wroxham from the river, wroxham is an awful place from the river now, strange when the thwaites the barnes brinkcraft owners step father is on the parish council.
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lisa
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
It is about time something was done to improve the mess in Station Rd. it should have been done years ago. Just demolish it and build something that is a tourist attraction, Hoveton is a lovely village and it is this sort of thing that really puts people off.
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Mr T
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The whole of Station road is a total mess, other than the northern end. Demolish the flaming lot, as no one should have to put up with seeing this as it's an absolute disgrace, tourist attraction I think not.
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John L Norton
Wednesday, February 1, 2012