Calls to demolish fire-ravaged hotel three years on

Residents and businesses in Midhurst are calling for the frontage of the Angel Inn to be dismantled three years on from a huge fire which destroyed the hotel.

The hotel, Olive and Vine restaurant, and a sweet shop were damaged in the fire on 16 March 2023, but the site has remained largely untouched behind scaffolding since.

Many people in the town said this had reduced footfall, as North Street is blocked off on one side, and they believed this was part of the reason 17 businesses had closed in Midhurst since the blaze.

South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), the planning authority, said a specialist had come forward with a basic proposal for the fire-damaged buildings.

"It's really important that whatever is done is done quickly, we can't sustain this loss," said James MacGregor, owner of Stockley Outdoor & Equestrian.

He added: "The recovery of the high street is the most important factor within Midhurst, it's not the retention of the façade.

"When I've talked to other businesses, the majority have said they would probably not survive if there was more disruption."

MacGregor said the Midhurst shop had seen a 20% drop in trade compared with its Littlehampton shop.

Eleanor Cope, co-owner of Kemaelli's Café, said the best option could be to take the front wall down.

She added: "I appreciate maintaining the history of the town but at this point the town will be history if we keep going."

Stephane Jacob, owner of Midhurst Bakery, said: "Everybody is talking to each other but after three years we're in the same situation, [work] needs to be done now."

Historic England said it did not oppose demolition but it needed to be "justified".

The body said listed building consent would need to be supported by a structural engineer's report that explained why no other options were feasible and viable.

Historic England said SDNPA could then consider it against established planning policy and weigh the harm to the listed buildings against the public benefits for the town.

SDNPA said structural surveys were done in December and January, and the specialist proposal included options to demolish some elements of the building, while retaining or reusing others.

Yvonne Graveley, a West Sussex county councillor for Midhurst, said the owners would be meeting SDNPA to discuss plans.

She told the BBC there were four options available to redevelop the site, including dismantling the front wall, or keeping the wall and working behind it.

Andrew Griffith, Conservative MP for Arundel and South Downs, said: "There's multiple parties, multiple different insurers, and a listed conservation site at the centre of a medieval town.

"That's perhaps why we're sitting here three years on from the terrible fire, but what we can't do is be here in two or three years' time."

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