Sheffield Old Town Hall

[peak4]

Looks like Gunes (Gary) Ata's back in the news again; for all the wrong reasons.
Old Town Hall: Landlord Gary Ata warned to make historic Sheffield building safe and waterproof   The Star

A landlord has been warned to make a key Sheffield historic building safe and waterproof almost three years after he bought it.
The city council has said it could issue an enforcement notice to safeguard the Old Town Hall on Waingate.

Property developer Gary Ata snapped up the Grade II listed building in December 2022.

Since then, it appears he has “done nothing,” according to the Friends of the Old Town Hall.

They say it is in a “bad way, every year adding to the damage caused by sheer neglect from lack of heating, water ingress and vandalism.”

 

He's not been having a very good week really; the following isn't the first time he's been prosecuted as a Sheffield landlord

Gary Ata: Sheffield landlord fined £97,000 over 'serious' failures at St Mary's student flats  The Star

A Sheffield landlord has been fined £97,000 over the ‘serious and deliberate’ failure to manage a block of flats in Sheffield.

 

See also from The Tribune last year

The Old Town Hall has had some terrible owners. Is Gary Ata the worst?
‘The council has neglected that building for far too long. It’s a disgrace’

[Resident]

https://www.thestar.co.uk/lifestyle/retro/old-town-hall-landlord-gary-ata-warned-to-make-historic-sheffield-building-safe-and-waterproof-4826294?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawF90RVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHePZfrwCUsxt7smQumb6p0BV5zoN8Uk5YlLDxwW1xWr3iNkCHWIAW8DgjQ_aem_yCECqDorPci3OU7vQyOIRQ#Echobox=1729155859

 

Gunes 'Gary' Ata has been warned that he must make the building 'safe & waterproof' having let the building deteriorate.

I suspect very strongly that 'work' will begin and either:
 

• something "structurally unsound" will be found
• there will be an 'accidental fire'
• there will be a miscommunication

This will mean that Sheffield loses more of it's heritage buildings, seems to be par for course in Sheffield lately. 

I might add that this is the same Gunes Ata that has been fined almost £100,000 this year for over 140 separate offences including, but not limited to, fire safety signs, general safety, repairs and maintenance. The fine was orginally £158,000 but was reduced on appeal. The offences relate to the student flats he owns on London Road. 

[Bellatrix]

14 minutes ago, Resident said:

https://www.thestar.co.uk/lifestyle/retro/old-town-hall-landlord-gary-ata-warned-to-make-historic-sheffield-building-safe-and-waterproof-4826294?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawF90RVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHePZfrwCUsxt7smQumb6p0BV5zoN8Uk5YlLDxwW1xWr3iNkCHWIAW8DgjQ_aem_yCECqDorPci3OU7vQyOIRQ#Echobox=1729155859

 

Gunes 'Gary' Ata has been warned that he must make the building 'safe & waterproof' having let the building deteriorate.

I suspect very strongly that 'work' will begin and either:
 

• something "structurally unsound" will be found
• there will be an 'accidental fire'
• there will be a miscommunication

This will mean that Sheffield loses more of it's heritage buildings, seems to be par for course in Sheffield lately. 

I might add that this is the same Gunes Ata that has been fined almost £100,000 this year for over 140 separate offences including, but not limited to, fire safety signs, general safety, repairs and maintenance. The fine was orginally £158,000 but was reduced on appeal. The offences relate to the student flats he owns on London Road. 

 

Oops!  Too far gone to save and restore.  Oh dear.  Sorry about that.  18 months later: flat pack glass and concrete cuboid student flats.

[Delbow]

Property developers and landlords are pretty much untouchable it seems. They just do what they like, take the pish out of the rest of us and there's little that anyone can do. A consequence of endless 'business friendly' governments.

[Runningman]

A box of matches and some petrol could enter this story.

[hackey lad]

Have the council issued the enforcement notice ? 

[peak4]

15 minutes ago, hackey lad said:

Have the council issued the enforcement notice ? 

I'm not sure anyone viewing this would be able to give a definitive answer.
I think the nearest answer is actually in the opening post on this topic, which suggests to me that it hasn't yet done so.

The city council has said it could issue an enforcement notice to safeguard the Old Town Hall on Waingate.

 

And from the first link; similarly

Councillor Ben Miskell, chair of the transport, regeneration and climate policy committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “The Old Town Hall has played a significant role in the history of Sheffield and we, like the Friends group, would like to see it given a new lease of life.

“At the moment there isn’t a live planning application for the building and our officers are monitoring the condition of the building.”

The authority has the power to issue a Section 215 enforcement notice to make the building safe and waterproof, he added.

 

I believe the council is required to maintain a public register of enforcement notices, stop notices and breach of condition notices, as required by Section 188 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning-development/search-view-comment

That register is here, which doesn't appear to list such a notice at first glance
https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-10/register_of_enforcement_and_stop_notices_658-735_may_2022_to_october_2024.pdf
With the index here

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-10/index_to_enforcement_registers_07_october_2024.pdf

Nothing obvious for Castle St or Waingate.

[hackey lad]

Well they should . What are they waiting for ? Prolonging this just plays into the owners hands . 

[peak4]

Maybe some people would consider joining a campaign group
Friends of The Old Town Hall Press release 13 /10/ 2024

https://www.joinedupheritagesheffield.org.uk/groups/friends-of-the-old-town-hall/

Friends of The Old Town Hall  

(free) membership link at the foot of the page

or Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FOTHSheffield/?locale=en_GB

 

[bassett one]

Typical SCC not getting anything done , its about time they were changed or made to work harder and get things sorted.