Work is beginning on the Oxford Abingdon Hotel near Tesco, in what the hotel website describes as a ‘refurbishment‘. They say on their blog ‘The full make-over will be finalised by Autumn 2018.‘
Hoarding are being put up to allow work to begin on the new wing.
The hotel will then be re-branded as a Hilton Garden Inn.
The existing hotel accomodation (slightly dwarfed in this picture by the new wing) will continue to operate during that time. The hotel website says… ‘The hotel’s reception and breakfast area will both be relocated and we will be offering all guests complimentary continental breakfast. Evening meals will not be available; we can, however, recommend local eateries.’
Shame they don’t also want to build a Hilton Riverside Inn I know of just the site right by Abingdon bridge.
Hear hear!
It all feels a bit ominous to me, the more hotel room space the town gets the less likely the Upper Reaches being brought back to life as a hotel seems.
With some investment and a bit of tasteful minor expansion it could again be a nice up market weekend away or memorable tourist stop go to place boutique hotel. I wish I had the money I’d do it myself but the longer it stands empty the more £’a it requires.
Feels like ‘someone’ or ‘somebody’ isn’t selling it that hard so eventually they can say “well we tried… but”… well you ain’t trying hard enough mate!
Good news about the expansion of the 4 pillars though. Abingdon is desperately short of hotel rooms.
Fully agree about the Upper Reaches – I think Caparo are letting it get run down so the council will relent on housing change of use. Well done for the Vale for holding the line.
Cheap Hilton – not the real thing. Otherwise, it would provide a restaurant and not recommend local “eateries”.
Meanwhile the best hotel site is left to decay. Like Badger, I would love to have the financial resources to take it on.
If, as Iain suggests, this is an attempt by Caparo to flog it off as land for housing, it is a depressing prospect. We have seen the Old Gaol development and it is not a resounding success. It does nothing to enhance the riverside, and about the only thing it does is to keep a prison-like security and air of Keep Out.
Is there any mileage in a local consortium with perhaps hundreds of smaller shareholders taking on the Upper Reaches?
Ppjs…. there’s a TC drop in forum for just this sort of thing at the Preston Rd community centre between 2 and 4 tomorrow…why not come along and suggest it to them – or hear what the TC have in mind?
Caparo still have the lease – and if they are paying the rent, and are not in breach of it in some other way, it is presumably difficult for the Vale to do anything about it. It would be useful to know what the lease terms are…
Does anyone know how many properties there are in The Veil that pay council tax?
I would have expected there to be a term in the lease requiring the leaseholder to keep the grounds in a neat and tidy order.
Su – Agreed it is now looking rather uncared for with massive weeds growing out of the car park, I’m not sure that there has been any grounds maintenance since it became unoccupied. Previously I thought that they were doing quite a lot to the place but it seems those were just works to counter the constant attempts at entry (some successful) and the resulting internal and external vandalism and damage.
A friend has pointed out to me that the alcoves in the front of the presently mothballed Guildhall have become a sitting and congregating place for some of the youth in the town, litter and graffiti seem to have followed. Why can’t they sit on the benches or seats as provided throughout the town like everyone else?
Badger – because they are young!
ppjs – Young? Oh yes, I remember that 🙂