St Margaret’s Lodge owner given nine months to clean up the site or face fines
- The Development & Planning Authority has issued a Land Amenity Improvement Notice to St Margaret’s Lodge.
- The notice is a response to the site's poor condition and safety risks.
- The lodge has suffered from vandalism, graffiti, and neglect since it closed in 2016.
- The landowner must undertake specific repairs within nine months or face penalties.
- The notice serves as a last resort after unsuccessful informal attempts to address the issues.
The Development & Planning Authority has served St Margaret’s Lodge in St Martin with the first Land Amenity Improvement Notice due to concerns about its condition and appearance.
St Margaret’s Lodge has steadily deteriorated since its closure in 2016, following the revocation of its boarding permit.
Vandalism and graffiti have marred the building, which features boarded-up, broken, and missing windows and doors, alongside an overgrown site littered with old furniture and glass.
The overall degradation of the site has attracted anti-social behaviour, prompting action from the DPA.
The notice mandates specific steps for the landowner to enhance the site’s appearance over the next nine months, which includes repairs and clearing of the area. Failure to comply with the notice by the deadline could result in fines.
An appeal process is available to the landowner within 28 days from the issuance of the notice.
There have been pre-application planning enquiries about redeveloping the site, which was listed as being permitted to change from visitor accommodation to certain residential uses, but no progress made.
In July, Carlo Stefani, who has managed the St Margaret's Lodge Hotel for more than a decade, told the BBC his dream was to knock the hotel down and develop 25 affordable homes there.
While this is the first formal notice ever served by the DPA of this kind, the authority has previously applied informal measures to address similar issues successfully, such as those seen at Idlerocks.
Deputy Neil Inder, President of the DPA, said that “serving someone with a Land Amenity Improvement Notice is a last resort. We’d much rather have sorted this informally, but despite our efforts, this wasn’t possible.”
He added: “Tatty commercial buildings can bring down a whole area; and owner responsibility extends further than their premises.”
They first became available for use on 11 February last year after the States backed their introduction on 30 March 2023.
They cannot be served on domestic properties - something the States agreed after an amendment by Deputy Inder who was at the time Economic Development president.
“I think it is important to understand, when you look through the policy letter, it is not entirely clear what the policy letter is trying to achieve in terms of economic benefit to the island,” he said at the time.
“I honestly believe there is a clear separation between looking at areas of regeneration, commercial property, and popping over the hedge of someone’s house and deciding what their garden looks like.”
He said he would not have supported the policy if his amendment failed.
What needs to happen at St Margaret’s Lodge:
Buildings
Pitched Roofs: Clean all pitched roofs with a suitable fungicidal wash. Remove vegetation, moss and algae. Repair and replace damaged or missing roofing slates and tiles in a manner that matches the originals.
Flat Roofs: Clean all flat roofs with a suitable fungicidal wash. Remove vegetation, moss and algae. Repair or replace broken elements to match the originals, including repairing the internal structure, if necessary.
Soffits, Fascias and Rainwater Gutters: Clean all serviceable soffits, fascias and rainwater gutters with a suitable fungicidal wash. Remove vegetation, moss and algae. Replace damaged or missing elements in a manner that matches the originals.
Mansard Dormer Windows and Window Surrounds: Clean all canopies above mansard dormer windows and all window surrounds with a suitable fungicidal wash.
Windows and Doors: Clean all serviceable windows and doors (glass and frames) with a suitable fungicidal wash. Replace damaged or missing windows and doors in a manner that matches the originals, including windows and doors that are currently boarded up.
Exterior Rendered Wall Surfaces and Chimney Stacks: Clean all exterior rendered wall surfaces and chimney stacks with a suitable fungicidal wash. Remove vegetation, moss and algae. Remove graffiti. Paint all exterior rendered wall surfaces with two coats of a suitable external masonry paint, in white or cream.
Fire Escape: Repair or replace the fire escape to the north of the building and repaint it with a suitable exterior metal paint in black. Alternatively, remove the fire escape in its entirety from the Property.
Conservatory: Demolish the derelict conservatory structure and remove it from the Property. Close up the opening in the wall of the main hotel building in masonry and paint externally with two coats of a suitable external masonry paint in white or cream.
Grounds
Vegetation: Cut back to ground level all brambles, ivy and overgrown vegetation surrounding the main hotel building and staff accommodation block, except for trees taller than five metres, hedges and decorative shrubs. Remove the cut material from the Property.
Waste: Remove all waste materials, rubbish and litter from the Property, including all broken glass.
Gates: Erect lockable gates of an open mesh design and not exceeding 1.8 metres in height at the vehicular access to the car park and pedestrian access to the site to prevent unauthorised entry.
Swimming Pool: Remove the swimming pool lining and associated materials and infill the pool with clean fill. Alternatively, install a new secure pool cover.
For additional information regarding Land Amenity Improvement Notices, visit the DPA's website at https://www.gov.gg/land-amenity-improvement-notices.
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