Fears have been raised that a derelict building will soon collapse after a council confirmed it is taking no enforcement action against its owner.
The Grade II-listed Newgate House in Sandwich has been described as a “thorn in the side” of the town for more than three decades.
Last year, Dover District Council (DDC) member Cllr Dan Friend (Con) put forward a motion calling on the authority to take enforcement action against the property owner.
The proposal was voted down at a meeting of the full council, leaving the New Street site fenced off ever since.
Now, DDC has confirmed that no enforcement action is being considered – but Cllr Friend says residents remain concerned about the eyesore property.
He says anti-social behaviour and trespassing are still a common occurrence.
“It’s a complete eyesore building, has been a thorn in the side of the town for decades, and it’s becoming the topic of conversation again because of the sorry state of affairs it’s in,” he said.
“It’s disappointing that after the motion last January, the result is now they’ve closed the enforcement case, and absolutely nothing is going to happen, and it’s free to fall down.
“Most of the reports I get are residents concerned they’ve seen children accessing the site – I suppose they’re naturally inquisitive, but they’re venturing in and not realising it’s putting their lives in danger.
“We have the benefit in Sandwich of hosting The Open on a regular basis, which puts us on the world stage, highlighting our fantastic medieval town.
“We rely on the visitor economy, but one of the first things people see when they come is the ruin on New Street.”
The previous motion called for DDC to “explore all legal avenues”, including a potential compulsory purchase order (CPO), which would allow the authority to acquire the site.
A year on, residents say the council should still step in.
Commenting online, Lisa Percival said: “It’s not a new issue – it’s been the same for a very long time through successive councils who haven’t taken appropriate action.
“It’s such a beautiful building, it’s odd that the owner has chosen to let it rot.”
Tony Grierson added: “Ridiculous decision by DDC. It should be compulsory purchased, rebuilt, and sold.
“It would then no longer be a blight in the town.”
At the DDC full council meeting in January last year, Cllr Michael Nee (Lab) noted the estimated costs to repair the building and make it watertight had increased by more than 40%, to approximately £1,120,000.
It is unclear who owns the building, but a planning application was submitted by David Whitaker in February 2023 to put scaffolding up and repair and rebuild the roof of the listed site.
It received the final sign-off from DDC in June 2025, but work has yet to commence.
In a statement released this week, a DDC spokesman said the authority is “aware of the condition of the property”.
“We will continue to monitor it going forward in respect of concerns regarding safety,” he said.
“The site is currently secured from trespassers by Heras fencing.
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“There is a long and complex history relating to this site, and officers have investigated potential enforcement action.
“A motion was put forward at full council in January 2025, which sought to pursue continued enforcement investigation relating to the property, including exploring legal routes to potential compulsory purchase of the site if matters cannot be resolved through other means.
“This motion lost, and formal enforcement action is not currently being considered.”
