City of Wolverhampton Council has won its court case to enforce a ‘tidy up’ notice on the owners of the derelict former Brewbakers building in Horseley Fields.
The owners must now carry out compliance works to the building, on the approach to Wolverhampton city centre, soon or risk facing further fines.
It is part of a crackdown by the Vacant Properties Taskforce to encourage owners of empty properties to properly maintain them and actively bring them back into use.
Jagir Singh, Jaswant Singh and Kalwant Singh, all of Ednam Road, Goldthorn Hill, Wolverhampton, were found guilty of not complying with a Section 215 notice (Town and Country Planning Act 1990), at Dudley Magistrates Court on Wednesday (March 26).
Each defendant was fined £660 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £264 and costs of £495 – totalling £4,257.
Compliance works include replacing the existing boards over the windows, repairing all damaged, missing and broken doors, removal of all vegetation from the building and rubbish from the site, cleaning all graffiti from the doors and brickwork, and fixing rainwater goods to ensure discharge of rainwater without leaks.
The Presiding Justice considered the former Brewbakers building to be an outstanding building and should be brought back into use.
City of Wolverhampton Council Leader, Councillor Stephen Simkins, said: “Despite not being the owner of the site, the council is determined to see the former Brewbakers building brought back to life, so it brings jobs, opportunities and investment to Wolverhampton.
“That is exactly why my administration launched the Vacant Properties Taskforce - to tackle dishevelled, vacant commercial properties, left by landlords to blight our streets.
“The benefits of reusing empty buildings and developing vacant sites are considerable, including the provision of new jobs and homes. It helps attract investment to an area, lifts its character and appearance, reduces anti-social behaviour and can help boost the wellbeing of residents, workers and visitors.
“The Vacant Properties Taskforce has a mandate to monitor these buildings, ensure they are well maintained as a minimum, and look to bring some important and iconic properties back into use.”
