Derelict Meltham hotel to be assessed after fire rips through building
A hotel in Meltham which caught fire on Tuesday evening is to be assessed after the fire caused damage to the building.
The Durker Roods Hotel in Meltham caught fire at around 6.14pm with the first floor of the building 50 per cent on fire, according to West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. By 10pm, the fire was out and damping down was underway. Now, an update has been issued by Meltham Town Council a day later. According to the council, work will now begin to assess the building.
This includes a safety inspection and the re-boarding up of access points. In the meantime, the emergency services will remain on the scene to protect the building. The council added: "We would call on residents to avoid the building and remind our younger community to stay out of the building as the severity of the danger has now increased greatly."
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Over the past 18 months, The Durker Roods Hotel has been the subject of ongoing issues surrounding its ownership and management. The council held a public meeting in June 2023 to discuss the issues surrounding the hotel and several actions were taken to try to resolve these issues.
Kirklees Council served notice to allow them to take action to maintain the security of the property. They removed the fire escape and have repeatedly secured the ground floor. They have also continued to seek recompense for unpaid business rates at the property.
Councillor Richard Noon, who was Town Mayor at the time, requested professional local residents to try to establish the facts around the status of the property and its ownership. This process is ongoing.
The council said: "The complex nature of the shareholder ownership model has ultimately left the building in this position and must be resolved for anything to happen with the property. It is believed a minority of shareholders are restricting this problem from being resolved.
"The Administrators will need to pursue a second offer to shareholders to attempt to resolve the issue, they need to be given the space to complete this process, and we will therefore await their feedback."