Sheringham Shannocks site compulsory purchase order made

North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) has served a Compulsory Purchase Order - a legal tool that allows councils to acquire land or property - on Huddies Ltd, the landowners of the former Shannocks Hotel site in Sheringham. 

The site of the former hotel has been a blight on the seaside town for more than a decade with the building finally being demolished in 2021.

Shannocks Hotel before it was demolished (Image: Newsquest)Three years later, work on an approved mixed housing and retail development for the site has not been started.

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As the proposed development has failed to materialise, last month the council's cabinet agreed to take the necessary legal steps to secure the land so that progress could be made on the prominent site. 

Barriers placed around the site in Sheringham (Image: Google)Cllr Andrew Brown, the portfolio holder for planning and enforcement, said: “The district council shares the community’s long-standing concerns about the appearance of the former Shannocks Hotel site.

"We are committed to seeing its replacement with a positive new development to the wider benefit of Sheringham’s residents and visitors.

“Unfortunately, three years after the derelict hotel was demolished, no progress has been made by Huddies Ltd to take forward a replacement development and so the council now needs to take the necessary steps towards securing a brighter future for this prominent seafront site.”

Huddies Ltd said they were aware that the Planning Inspectorate had confirmed the CPO.

A spokesman for the company previously said: "NNDC's interest in Huddies' property is a fig leaf for the council's longstanding desire to develop the adjacent Chequers Car Park.

"Huddies remains committed to its plans to redevelop its property without the loss of a vital public amenity and Huddies has written to the council seeking clarification as to the next steps."