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Planning permission sought to rectify hotel plagued by rats
21/12/2010
After years of complaints by local residents, the derelict St George Hotel in West Cliff Gardens, Bournemouth is finally set to be put out of its misery.
The building has been derelict for more than eight years and has been plagued by rats and mice, to the extent that locals have dubbed it a 'Ritz for Rats.'
Now, the owner of the property has submitted two planning applications, one to demolish the hotel and one to 'remove the requirement' to offer tourist accommodation.
The plans follow the withdrawal of his previous application to convert the building into residential and holiday flats, as he deemed it no longer viable in the current climate.
Chair of Westcliff Green Residents’ Association, Chris Colledge, said that he had collected more than 150 signatures all in favour of either proposal as a way of removing the 'blot on the landscape.'
Mr Colledge said, "The St George’s has had a negative impact on the West Cliff for far too long and is an eyesore for all the local community and visitors to the town, especially those who stay in the local nearby hotels.
"The deterioration of the building, having no floors, and the more recent infestation of rats and pigeons is of grave concern to the local community and potentially a public hazard," he added.
