Wolverhampton City Council is to begin legal proceedings against the owners of Beatties over the building's deteriorating condition and non-compliance with a cleanup notice.
Eden Beatties, the current owner, has stripped internal fittings and removed some structures but has failed to progress a redevelopment scheme despite holding planning permission. The building is currently in poor condition.
The council issued a section 215 notice requiring compliance. The owners have missed several deadlines, prompting the authority to take formal action.
Long-term redevelopment plans
The council is developing a Development Delivery Strategy, funded and co-developed by the West Midlands Combined Authority, to find a viable route to unlock redevelopment of the site.
Long-term restoration and redevelopment of the locally listed heritage asset could provide new housing and commercial opportunities, act as a catalyst for further regeneration activity, and enhance the conservation area it sits in. The council wants the site brought back into active use as part of its Our Future City Centre Plan.
Compulsory Purchase Order as last resort
Earlier this year, the council's Cabinet agreed in principle to consider a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) of the site as a last resort to secure regeneration.
Councillor Stephen Simkins, City of Wolverhampton Council Leader, said: "We have given the owners of Beatties ample opportunity to comply with the legally-binding clean up notice. They have missed deadline after deadline and enough is enough — the current state of the building is totally unacceptable."
He added: "It is an iconic landmark in our city and we have stressed to the owners the urgency of seeing realistic and rapid plans to bring it back to life with evidence that a credible and comprehensive funding package is capable of being developed."
The council said it stands ready to support credible plans but is exploring all available options, including CPO powers as a last resort, to bring the building back to life.