Crumbling ruins of grand hotels prove council has let our seaside town go to the dogs – we’re UK’s ‘forgotten people’
IT was the jewel of the Isle of Wight where white-gloved concierges welcomed notables like Charles Darwin and Jimi Hendrix to its posh resorts.
Today, pigeon poo covers a decrepit old sign of the Esplanade Hotel – the last vestige of the boom town days Sandown once enjoyed.
Boarded-up shops, smashed windows and abandoned burnt down hotels are the first glimpses tourists get as they step off the ferry.
Further up the town’s High Street, what locals dub the UK’s ‘most miserable eyesore’ is revealed.
Within six years, more than a dozen derelict properties have been laid to waste or remain uninhabited.
The war-zone scenes have prompted an exodus of footfall that is destroying the livelihoods of small business owners.
In the past few weeks alone, three fish and chip shops have closed down – the heart and soul of any British seaside town.
The downturn has seen the Isle of Wight Council bear the brunt of blame after “wilfully neglecting” the south-east corner, according to furious residents.
“We are going to the dogs and they couldn’t care less,” fisherman Garry Oates told The Sun.
Captain Oates is a proud Sandown local of more than 20 years and has seen it go from boom to bust.
Garry said: “It has gone downhill a lot from its heyday, it used to be the Riviera of the south coast.
“It would attract thousands of tourists from all over the world, the beaches were full and the local economy was booming.
“These days people are greeted with decay – it’s totally demoralising.”
Sandown is reportedly a victim of “land-banking”, in which an entity has bought number of properties for future development.
The main issue the town faces is some of these projects have sat in idle for almost a decade.
Garry said: “There are still more than a dozen properties, which haven’t been touched for years.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything the councils can do to enforce change.
“They cause such a bad image for Sandown and it affects tourism greatly.
“A lot tourists love the natural beauty of the bay and the island but also a lot of people are disappointed due to the deprivation and will never come back.”
‘Wilful neglect’
The Isle of Wight has been successful in securing The Government’s levelling-up funding in the past.
However, Sandown itself has struggled to attract investment.
Garry said: “The council have wilfully neglected Sandown.
“About three years ago we even wrote to Boris ourselves to try get some of the pot of money that was there to improve local areas but we never saw anything.
“The whole process has been disappointing and disheartening.
“Year after year they are prepared to let it decline.”
According to official figures, the rate of unemployment and the proportion of residents experiencing deprivation relating to low income was higher than the national average.
More than 30 per cent of the population was made up of people over 65 too.
David Burnett moved from the mainland eight years ago in search of a quieter life.
He loves living in Sandown but he fears there is not enough investment for younger people.
David said: “The obvious things are the buildings, the shops closing down and the lack of infrastructure for teenagers… it’s frustrating.
“There are so many closed down buildings, even a shop that has been running for almost 30 years is set to close next month – it is just becoming an unfortunate state of affairs.
“People like Richard Strauss and Jimi Hendrix used to stay here because historically it was an upmarket place.
“But take away the beach and the shops and you’ve just got another dilapidated town and I’d hate to see it go any further downhill.”
“The council is sitting on their hands”
In 2021, the Ocean Hotel was destroyed after it was engulfed in flames.
Onlookers, including David, watched on in horror as the iconic beachfront guesthouse burned until it was unsalvageable.
More than two years later, no action has been taken.
David said: “It’s the fact that nobody is listening to the people.
“The council is just sitting on their hands and saying there is not much we can do.
“For the last two years, we have been promised action and even police action against these property owners – but we’ve stopped believing anything we hear.
“It is a shame because when I first arrived here I used to walk up the High Street and just gaze at the fantastic architecture – Victorian, Georgian… the buildings are magnificent.
“But it’s lost its edge, some of the buildings on the street are literally crumbling and it looks as if they’re going to let it go until it falls apart.”
In response to the claims, an Isle of Wight Council spokesman said: “The state of sites and buildings is due to the behaviour of landowners, who should ensure that the land and buildings they own are maintained and kept in a suitable appearance.
“We cannot make further detailed comment, as we have open enforcement investigations for some of these sites and are therefore pursuing landowners to ensure that the state of untidy land and buildings is remedied.
“The Esplanade Hotel is currently subject to a planning application for its proposed redevelopment whilst the challenge against the Council’s service of a Section 215 Notice (Untidy Land) at the Ocean Hotel will be heard in the Crown Court on Friday September 15.
“The council is keen to see these buildings redeveloped and brought back in to use to enhance the appearance of the town and support the Island economy.”
But for longtime resident Ann Jennings, something has to change.
She said: “The town itself is one of the best places to live, the people are warm, they care for each other and it is the best beach on the south coast.
“But it is so frustrating to see what has become of the town – it doesn’t look great.
“I feel like we are forgotten.
“And I am not sure how much longer we can wait, all I can say is that we have voting rights and at the next election maybe things will change.”