Call for ‘eyesore’ properties in Stamford to be slapped with untidy notice

An untidy notice could be slapped on two unfinished ‘eyesore’ developments.

Complaints have been made about two sites in Stamford, the Salvation Army Hall in East Street and the former Welland Motor Factors in North Street, where work has started but never been finished.

They were branded an ‘eyesore’ at a Stamford Town Council meeting last month, where a concerned resident, who was not named and submitted a written question, questioned why nothing was being done.

Responding to the complaints after the meeting, cabinet member for planning at South Kesteven District Council Phil Dilks (Ind), explained the council doesn’t have the power to demand that building work is progressed or completed.

"However, following recent concerns raised by local representatives we are in the process of assessing the site to establish if the condition of the land would warrant action under the relevant powers the council has for untidy land,” he said.

If a section 215 notice is served, the council could request that the site is tidied up, such as fences being repaired and weeds removed.

Title registers from the Land Registry name the owners of both sites as Maiden Properties Ltd, which is based in Sheep Market, Stamford and, according to Companies House, Sandra and Alexandros Pistolas, and Rachel Griffiths are directors.

LincsOnline attempted to contact the owners but has not received a response.

The East Street site was bought by Maiden Properties for £605,000 in 2008 and since then a number of planning applications have been submitted, including for a 36-bedroom budget hotel.

Plans for six terraced townhouses got the go ahead in 2018 with the final approval given in 2021.

Work briefly started that year - around the same time the ‘East Street Gallery’ was created by signwriting firm and local Facebook sensation Frank Newbon - but since then, not much has visibly changed.

The North Street site was bought for £248,000 in November 2000 and has also been granted planning permission for a range of projects including a new garage, a 38 bedroom hotel and a development of 13 flats.

None of these projects have materialised.

Planning permission states that work must start within three years of the approval being given, which it did for both sites.

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