Lancaster City Council has initiated action against the current owners of the closed Yorkshire House on Parliament Street, Lancaster, which has been empty for over five years and victim to vandalism.
The former pub, in later years renamed Yorkshire Taps by former owner Provincial Hotels and Inns (now operating under a new name, after they went into receivership owing £2.5 million, who still own the County in Carnforth and the Royal pubs in Bolton-le-Sands) is currently property of the receivers, agents Mazars LLP / Avison Young.
After dismay at the vandalism voiced by many, including Lancaster Civic Vision, the pub has finally been boarded up by the Council, and the Lancaster Guardian reports a court date for non-compliance with an untidy building notice is set for mid-August.
The property has been hit by two fires since it closed its doors, to the dismay of former locals.
Originally called The Yorkshire Tavern, the pub’s name was possibly inspired by the long-gone Green Ayre railway station over the road, with its connections to Yorkshire. The railway was extended to Skipton in 1850 and the pub is thought to have been built around 1853, although an exact date seems hard to pin down.
“The Council has completed the boarding and securing works to Yorkshire House,” a Council spokesperson told the newspaper, “which were necessary and undertaken following continued concerns regarding the condition of the property, repeated unauthorised access, vandalism, and the associated risks to public safety.
“The works carried out secure both the building and the wider site, particularly the rear of the property where access has been a significant concern. This should substantially reduce the opportunity for further trespass, vandalism and damage whilst also improving public safety.
“The council’s planning enforcement team has served a Section 215 Notice on the company owners which covered the untidy nature of the site.
“The compliance period for the notice has passed, and no attempt by the owner has been made to tidy the site, and therefore prosecution proceedings have been instigated for failure to comply with the notice.”
The much-loved former Lancaster pub, once popular for its busy music scene, from folk to heavy metal, also home to the Spotlight Club and more, has now been empty for six years. Squatters moved in, and its has been severely vandalised, not helped by inattention from the owners that has left it with dangerous broken gutters that, potentially, could have fallen on pedestrians.
Issues with the state Yorkshire House reflect wider issues about neglected and empty buildings, which impact towns and cities across the country. In Lancaster, the former Kings Own Barracks on St. Leonardgate and The Alex, which virtual-Lancaster understands are both owned by the same person, are both victim to neglect, to the frustration of local MP Cat Smith, who has long campaigned to see the latter made safe.
There have been calls from many, including city councillors, for the government to tighten the law which already requires owners to keep their buildings safe, well-maintained and a credit to their area.
Last year, breaches of planning and listed building control at the former Alexandra Hotel, a prominent city centre site, resulted in substantial fines and costs being awarded against a Lancaster-based company and one of its directors, Zubeir Mister.
Tackling Derelict Building Issues
Property owners are legally responsible for keeping empty buildings safe and secure in the UK. Under the Building Act 1984 and Housing Act 2004, local authorities can force owners to fix dangerous structures, board up eyesores, or issue Section 215 untidy land notices. Neglect can lead to fines, council intervention, or prosecution, but only if it is enforced by a local council. It appears that in this case, council officers have been extraordinarily slow to act, despite concerns being raised for months by locals and organisations.
Talking to the Lancaster Guardian, ward councillor and city council leader Caroline Jackson said “It is heartbreaking and worrying to see the state the current owners have let this building get into.
“We know that young people having getting in from the rear of the building. Intruders have broken all the windows and there are reports that illegal activities are taking place on the premises.
“We know that city council officers are doing all the law lets them in terms of court action but it is a slow, slow business. This is an accident waiting to happen and the law is not on our side. We call on our local MP to make urgent representation to government about tightening up the law to require owners to keep their buildings safe, well-maintained and a credit to the area. “
Coun Paul Stubbins, city and county councillor for the area, says he understands of two groups of people are interested in buying and restoring the pub to its former glory.
“That the owner does not return their calls and instead allows the building to stand empty is terrible for our city,” he told the Guardian. “Owners of Lancaster’s iconic buildings should act responsibly as custodians of our heritage.
“The Yorkshire Taps has become an eyesore for residents and visitors, just as the Alexandra is from the south, which is also subject to enforcement action.”
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