Letters Lowther part of heritage
Sir - I cannot imagine many towns would be so complacent about the imminent loss of one of the few local buildings that has any history or heritage attached to it. I refer of course to the former Banks Arms Hotel, now known locally as The Lowther.
Goole is an artificial and relatively new town; it exists purely as a result of the enterprise of those designers and engineers who saw potential in such an inland port, and as such it has little in the way of local identity. It is a shame then to see the oldest building in the town fall into such disrepair and equally a shame that the local authorities seem unable or unwilling to stop its dissolution.
The article published in the Goole Times of May 29 raised quite a few questions, not least of all why the building has been allowed to suffer such neglect over such a protracted period of time. A cursory glance at any website explaining the law regarding listed buildings tells us that the local authorities have the right to contact the owner of said building and demand that specified repairs are carried out. (Section 115 Town and County Planning Act 1971).
I would be interested to know if any such demands have been issued, and if not, why not? Should such demands be ignored, local authorities have the right to action such repairs themselves and recoup the cost form the owner of the building. Has such a course of action been considered?
Further, if it is believed that a listed building is deliberately being allowed to fall into a continued state of disrepair in order to facilitate its demolition and simply develop the site, then local authorities have the right to issue a compulsory purchase order two months after unsuccessfully requesting repair (and this at a price less the value of the site for development). Are local authorities even aware of this?
One final question. When a building is given listed status, this includes fixtures and fittings present at time of listing regardless of age, and if, as Councillor O'Neil states, several listed items such as fireplaces have been removed, has this been reported to the relevant authorities English Heritage, or the Police? If not, why not, and do we know who removed them?
This is an illegal act and presumably our local government representatives would not want to see it go unpunished. As well as holding special memories for me, The Lowther is a staple of what little local heritage we have. It is truly irreplaceable and I for one am sickened every time I pass this once fine building and see what it has become.
Lee Maddison
Swinefleet Road,
Old Goole
Published on 12th June 2008 in Letters.
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