Row over decision on derelict hotel
AN angry hotel owner hit back at the council after he said they would not let him ask questions at a cabinet meeting during which the fate of his property was being decided.
In the committee, held on Tuesday, Bristol City Council officials agreed to push on with placing a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on The Grosvenor Hotel, if negotiations with the owner fail.
The longstanding eyesore situated near Temple Meads railway station has remained derelict for some time and is wanted by the council to complete its regeneration of the Temple Quarter, a project the authority has entered into with developer Skanska.
Owners of the derelict building Earlcloud Ltd say they are “strongly opposed to the CPO” which would see their building incorporated into part of the Engine Shed 2 development. They claim attempts to question the cabinet on its decision publicly were scuppered by the committee at its recent meeting.
A spokesperson for the council said the company was not allowed to submit questions to the hearing as none of the directors lives in Bristol.
“Written statements and questions submitted for the Public Forum section of Cabinet should meet certain criteria contained within the council’s constitution before they are included in upcoming meetings,” the council spokesperson said.
“One criteria is that public forum items are submitted by local residents of Bristol.
“A statement was received regarding the Grosvenor Hotel, and although it was from somebody not resident, the Mayor has decided, at his discretion, to accept the statement at the meeting.”
Despite this, no representative of Earlcloud Ltd was at the Cabinet meeting to read aloud the statement.
But they maintain they were excluded from asking questions to prevent the public from hearing how the council has “blighted the Grosvenor Hotel”.
“It’s astounding the lengths the council will go to ensure that the owners of Grosvenor Hotel won’t have their voice heard,” said the Earlcloud Ltd spokesperson.
In a statement submitted by Earlcloud Ltd to the committee, they said: “Since the mid 1990s a CPO of the Grosvenor has been talked about and publicised in the press.
“This has resulted in a loss of business, a lack of investment and undermined our ability to conduct business in open market conditions.” They go on to remind the committee that there is a sale of the site already pending, and of their alleged past attempts to work with Skanska and the council on a joint venture.
Earlcloud Ltd claims the old hotel is being sold to a developer by the name of Grosvenor Property Developers Ltd who have already sold the plot as student flats to over a hundred investors, many of whom are now trying to get their money back.
In line with the green light given