By Rufus Pickles - Local Democracy Reporter
The owners of an ‘eye-sore’ property in Sandown have failed to carry out improvement works, despite being handed almost £8,000 in fines and costs.
Graham Assets Ltd and its company director, Moses Meisels, were prosecuted by the council last year for not complying with a July 2023 Section 215 notice relating to their large run-down building on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Station Avenue.
An Isle of Wight Council enforcement order had a January 10 deadline – and their inaction has been labelled “disappointing and frustrating” by councillor for Sandown South, Ian Ward.
County Hall officers will now put together a case for further legal action against the owners, and consider additional options, according to Cllr Ward. He said: “It is disappointing and frustrating when owners seem to deliberately obstruct the law. This building has changed owners in the past to avoid planning enforcement action. Unfortunately, once something becomes a legal matter the court processes can take many months to conclude.
“Understandably, residents think that nothing is happening although the council and I are doing all we can to tackle the problem.”
County Hall issued a notice relating to the building, under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, in July 2023, which listed an ‘extensive list of repairs’. It had a six-month compliance period beginning on August 31 2023.
By March last, the council concluded ‘no works had been undertaken’, meaning the notice had been breached.
On October 8 at an Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court hearing, no-one from the mainland-based Graham Assets was present but the successful prosecution case continued without them.
Attempts have been made to contact Graham Assets and Moses Meisels for a comment.
Isle of Wight Observer