By Mal Butler
Ventnor residents have vented their fury as ‘one of the prime spots on the Island’ has been left in a state of disrepair.
Around 70 residents attended a meeting concerning the Ventnor Winter Gardens at the town’s Better Days Café on Friday. Among those attending were Isle of Wight East MP, Joe Robertson, Ventnor IW councillor, Ed Blake, and Natasha Dix, service director for waste, environment and planning at the IW Council.
The art deco building was opened in 1936 and its theatre hosted shows, concerts, cabaret, dances, art and film, but it was closed in 2011 before being bought by Ventnor’s Hambrough Group’s Kevin Sussmilch for £1 with ambitious plans to expand the building with hotel wings at either end.
However, the IW Council has now confirmed it has issued a section 215 notice to tidy up the building and the grounds around it. The notice also gives the owner 16 weeks to comply with 19 improvement requirements, including cleaning, re-rendering, repainting and roof repairs.
Cllr Blake said: “There’s a long list of things which need to be done and this will cost a lot of money. Something needs to be done because I worry about the rear wall and foundations; at some point it will be prohibitive to maintain.
“The roof was damaged by Storm Beatrice in 2022, and the kids are using it as a new playground. There was a tragedy in the town a few years ago when a child fell though a roof and we wouldn’t want this repeated.
“It’s a great unknown with what will happen in the future. The owner bought it for £1 when, at the time, it was worth probably £1million. I don’t know his intentions, but it’s arguably the most prime location on the Island, and it has a value to some people who have put forward other plans for its continued use.
“It doesn’t make business sense to leave it the way it is at the moment. The section 215 is the first rung of the ladder and the council can take further steps if nothing happens, so there are some teeth to it. I just feel someone else should be give the opportunity to take it over.”
The majority of local residents would like to see the building put to community use.
Isle of Wight Observer