A LANDMARK Herefordshire hotel is now looking a very sorry sight, with the pavement fenced off around it.

The Royal Oak Hotel, which sits at the junction of Etnam Street and South Street in Leominster, has lain derelict for some years, and now the footpath has been closed around the outside of the building, with barriers in place to prevent pedestrians stepping on to the path.

The three-storey Grade II-listed coaching inn is thought to date from the late 18th century.

But while empty, the hotel has suffered storm damage, vandalism and general neglect, despite Jai Rai, of Rai Fashions in Madley, receiving for listed building consent to carry out repairs including to the roof and windows, to rebuild a chimney, and to fix storm damage in 2022.

Royal Oak Hotel, LeominsterRoyal Oak Hotel, Leominster (Image: Hereford Times)

The state of the hotel has drawn many complaints in recent months.

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Councillors, former North Herefordshire MP Sir Bill Wiggin, and Leominster Civic Society have all called for enforcement action, with society chairman John Farrar claiming that gutting and masonry have fallen off the hotel, while roofing tiles are slipping and broken windows mean that pigeons will be causing damage to the internal structure with droppings.

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But Herefordshire Council earlier this year branded the building "fundamentally sound", according to minutes from the March meeting of Leominster Town Council's planning and highways committee.

At the time the town council said a councillor had replied to say this was not acceptable and was trying to arrange a meeting with the county council and owner.

Once one of Leominster's grandest buildings, the hotel now has clear signs of neglect and damage. 

There are areas where masonry has fallen from the building, while a number of windows are broken.