Some of South Holland’s largest empty and run-down properties could carry on deteriorating for many more years, it has been warned.
We reported earlier this month (July) that Spalding’s Old Johnson Hospital and former Royal Mail sorting office are both owned by offshore company Dyden Ltd. It has emerged that the firm owns other decaying property. Several years ago it paid £150,000 for The Grange, a mid-18th century Grade II* listed property in Pinchbeck Road.
District council portfolio holder for place, Coun Roger Gambba-Jones, empathises with residents upset at the situation, saying: “The problem is that what the owners are doing is nothing. It’s difficult to know what’s going on in their mind when they are investing in property and leaving it to deteroriate.
“It’s probably to do with the money potentially working harder for them, but only for the future rather than the present time.
“We are suffering because of their speculative and cavalier approach.
“It’s not just a problem in Spalding – there’s The Bridge Hotel in Sutton Bridge too.”
He insisted that council officers felt frustration too but were doing as much as possible within good use of taxpayers’ money.
A council spokesman said officers across a number of departments are looking at a range of “untidy” sites.
He added: “Each site must be investigated and analysed on a case by case basis in order to understand a way forward.”
Meanwhile, a Spalding businessman says the policy of empty listed buildings not attracting business rates was open to abuse.
He added: “The Grange is costing the owner nothing to sit on it, unlike responsible owners with non-listed empty commercial property, which encourages them to do something about keeping it in use.”
