A hotel in Abingdon has now been derelict for almost a decade and is continuing to deteriorate.

The Upper Reaches Hotel, off Thames Street next to Abingdon Bridge, closed in 2015 and has been boarded up.

The freehold of the site is owned by Vale of White Horse District Council and the area occupied by the hotel buildings and its immediate surroundings is on a 125-year lease dating back to 1969.

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Since 2004, the lease has been held by Contemporary Hotels.

In November Friends of Abingdon Civic Society urged the owner, Ambar Paul, to meet council leaders to decide its future.

Mr Paul said at the time he was prepared to spend £6m on a hotel scheme but only if he was granted the freehold.

(Image: Ed Nix) Daryl Jones, a member of the Friends of Abingdon Civic Society, who lives near the hotel, said: “It’s incredible that it’s coming up to 10 years since the hotel closed. We don’t want another year of this let alone another 10 years.

“The residents are caught in the middle of this stand-off between the hotel owner and the council and the site continues to deteriorate.

“The wall for the Abbey Stream is collapsing – we have raised this with the council and so far nothing has been done.

“A few weeks ago you could hear some kids who had got onto the site – it’s not secure.

“It’s crazy that the building has been left to deteriorate for almost 10 years – it’s having a negative impact on the whole town.”

(Image: Ed Nix) Mr Jones added: “We also raised the issue of graffiti with the council months ago and nothing has been done.”

Mr Paul closed the hotel in 2015 after it started losing £100,000 a year, and he is required to pay £60,000 to £80,000 a year to keep the site secure.

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The London-based businessman said in November he understood the frustration of people living near the derelict building.

He added at the time: "I'm hoping the council will be more flexible. This area could be a showcase for Abingdon. I'm not running away."

One possibility mentioned by Mr Paul was a new hotel featuring about 50 bedrooms.

The hotel owner said in November: "We put in a pre-application earlier this year for a 19-room boutique hotel, and then we were also going to have 10 two-and-three-bedroom houses.

"The council did respond but it was not extremely positive on the massing.

"Then there is another scheme for a larger hotel - you need 50 rooms in a hotel to make it successful, or a mixed use scheme.

"I am prepared to spend about £6m but I'm not going to spend that if I'm not going to get a return on it."

Mr Paul added that he would only be prepared to invest so much if he was granted the freehold to the site.

"The council would need to be flexible on massing as the hotel would need a nice restaurant and function room facilities," he added.

Mr Paul has been asked to comment.

A spokeswoman for Vale of White Horse District Council said: "The council continues to discuss The Upper Reaches with the current tenant, Contemporary Hotels Limited, and to encourage them to come forward with plans for the site.

“The study we published in February 2023 looks at potential redevelopment options in Abingdon, which encompassed key properties owned by the Vale council, including Upper Reaches, and this sets out the council’s aspirations.

“While we continue to do everything we can, it is important to note that The Upper Reaches site is leased out on a 125-year ground lease, which started in March 1969.

"Under the terms of the lease, the tenant as occupier is solely responsible for how the property is utilised, as well as being responsible for the upkeep of the fabric of the building and the security of the wider site.

“We understand the tenant is currently in the process of addressing some of the security issues and disrepair and looking to commence remedial work to the river wall shortly.”

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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