A DERELICT hotel has been branded an ‘eyesore’ by residents after being left in ruins following a devastating fire.
The former Orchid Gardens Hotel, in Gervis Road in Bournemouth, has lain empty for several years and remains boarded up after being set alight in 2020.
The four-storey hotel appears mostly intact from the front but is left crumbling at the rear.
The owner of the neighbouring Hotel Celebrity previously told the Echo the site was a fire hazard and a ‘disaster waiting to happen’.
Firefighters believe the blaze was caused deliberately but could not complete further investigations due to the instability of the building.
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Around three and a half years later, the site remains untouched and in charred ruins.
The current reception manager of Hotel Celebrity, Ion Nani, said the boarded-up site is not good for neighbouring businesses and ruins the nice area.
“Some of our rooms overlook the site and guests complain and ask to move,” said Ion.
He added that sometimes the hotel is fully booked, and visitors are left with ‘no other choice’.
Kelly Welles, works opposite the building, and said Gervis Road used to be ‘one of the best parts around’ but derelict buildings are impacting the area.
She said: “It is an eyesore, and it attracts certain types of people.
“It gives the area a bad name and it’s a shame because it could be really nice.”
Bournemouth MP Sir Conor Burns said he ‘totally agrees’ with what people are saying about the site, and others nearby.
“When we have places that are allowed to just degrade into a terrible state it can drag the whole area down and feed a sense of negative change,” said Sir Conor.
“The council should be doing everything possible to work with landlords and landowners to bring sites into use or at least to ensure they are properly fenced off until new development can start so that residents and visitors don't have to endure the sight."
It is understood the site is owned by Meyrick Estates.
The Daily Echo approached Meyrick Estates for a comment on the status of the building however, no response has been received.
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