Calls made to develop or demolish derelict Sutton Bridge hotel

A business owner is sending out a message to the potential new owners of an eyesore hotel – develop it for the good of the community.

Pippa Jones, who owns Pippa’s Pantry in Sutton Bridge, would like to see derelict The Bridge Hotel transformed rather than left to slowly rot.

The remains of the hotel has blighted the entrance to the village for many years and will once again be going under the hammer during an online auction next month.

Pippa said: “Everyone in Sutton Bridge would just like the eyesore gone to be honest.

“Hopefully it will get sold and maybe turned into nice flats overlooking the water.

“It would be ideal as a tea room to encourage people to come to Sutton Bridge.

“It is a big enough space – any business owner would need to get the community on board – and let the community be part of it.”

The guide price for the February 15 auction is £180,000 which unfortunately makes it not financially viable for the Pippa’s Pantry owner to bid.

But she says that the village does attract a lot of passing trade thanks to coastal walkers – which could be getting a boost when The King Charles III England Coast Path is complete.

Pippa said: “I hope somebody buys it (The Bridge Hotel) and there is plenty of support in Sutton Bridge.

“We get all the coastal walkers – they all come to the pantry.

“It is a mid-way point and a lot of passing trade.

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“If they do it right, they’ll do alright.”

Ward member Coun Michael Booth would like to see the derelict site demolished to help local businesses in the future.

He said: “I would like to see it made into a car park which is developed sympathetically with the area - and looking to the future a car park could include charging points.

“We have the King Charles III coastal walk established – with people coming to Sutton Bridge, and hopefully it would help people like Pippa's Pantry and other hostelries.

“If we've got to go electric we've got to have those facilities in place (like charging points). But it is the decision of the people that buys it. We got the policy accepted for untidy sites - what we want is private money and the district working with the developers."

The hotel was sold last year was sold via an online auction for a surprising £181,000 - far higher than the £80,000 to £100,000 guide price – but the new ownership was never placed on the Land Registry.

South Holland District Council was one of the bidders in the last auction but has ruled itself out of the February sale to the dismay of the Long Sutton and District Civic Society.

The hotel – which does not have a roof – has a total of 21 bedrooms with 18 ‘benefitting from ensuite bathrooms’, according to the latest listing on Rightmove.

The Bridge Hotel is one of a series of derelict buildings which are blighting the area and South Holland District Council has a policy to help bring these back into use.

The other problem sites include the former Johnson Hospital in Spalding, The Bull Hotel in Long Sutton and The Bell in Pinchbeck.

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