Issue - meetings

To approve the use of £1.5 million from the Council's Financial Strategy Fund to fund works to make safe the Corbett Arms building in Tywyn.

The report was presented by Cllr Craig ab Iago.

DECISION

To approve the use of £1.5 million from the Council's Financial Strategy Fund to fund works to make safe the Corbett Arms building in Tywyn.

DISCUSSION

The impact of the Council's duty to address problems like these, without resources or money, on the people of Gwynedd was emphasised.

It was stated that a section of the Corbett Arms building had collapsed and the Council's statutory duty to ensure the safety of the building and the residents of Tywyn was highlighted. It was explained that the Council did not want to take any further risks with the building because of the threat of other parts of the building collapsing as well.

The steps that had already been taken to protect the site and the public were highlighted, noting that there was also a duty to protect the building as it was listed. The significant costs associated with this duty were recognised.

Observations arising from the discussion:

·       It was acknowledged that there was a chance of being able to recover a portion of these costs, but the need to be realistic was noted. It was emphasised that the Council did not own the building, therefore the Council's role was solely to make the site safe.

·       Clarity was requested as to who owned the building. Reference was made to the challenge of attempting to pinpoint ownership when dealing with a building like this.

·       It was noted that much of this work was responsive work that was difficult to predict, so the Department was constantly cautious of that risk.

·       When discussing the intervention powers that the Council had in relation to a dangerous building, it was explained that the first step was to serve a notice to the owner. It was added that this meant that the Council could only intervene if the owner failed to carry out the necessary work to make the site safe. It was noted that the location of the dangerous building also played a role here.

A member questioned whether there was an end to this problem, and was concerned about having to pay more maintenance costs on the building for years to come. It was highlighted that there was no certainty about how the building would behave in the future, but it was confirmed that the building would be monitored continually.