Council orders cleanup of "eyesore" city centre building

Newcastle City Council has demanded that the owners of the prominent Wingrove House act to repair smashed windows, remove damaged or outdated adverts, and protect the site from both vandals and extreme weather.

The ground floor of the Ponteland Road site, next to the Cowgate junction, houses businesses including a Domino’s Pizza branch.

But the offices on the storeys above have been left vacant and have fallen into a state of disrepair, with previous plans to convert them into apartments having failed to come to fruition.

KG London Limited, a company registered to an address in Leicester, has been given five months to comply with the council’s instructions after the local authority’s enforcement notice comes into effect on February 28.

The order includes requirements to clear away all broken or damaged glass from the property, clean its roof, replace or board up broken windows, and remove disused air conditioning units, fans, lighting, wiring and pipework from the exterior of the building.

A council spokesperson said: “We have served an Untidy Land Notice on the owner of Wingrove House, a former office block on Ponteland Road, which overlooks the central motorway near Cowgate. Due to a lack of maintenance, the building has become an eyesore and is regularly vandalised having a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those living nearby.

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“We have instructed the owner to carry out surveys and take a number of actions to improve the building’s appearance including boarding up broken windows and panels, replacing windows, cleaning the roof, and removing all redundant adverts and air conditioning units among other things from the outside.

“When landlords allow their buildings to deteriorate, and it causes problems for residents we won’t hesitate to act. Local planning authorities have a range of powers to deal with breaches of planning control, including serving notices.

“Further legal action is open to us if notices are not complied with, in this instance five months.”