There are fears someone could be killed after the roof of a long-abandoned building partially caved in.

Councillors are calling on Dover District Council (DDC) to take enforcement action against the owner of the Grade II-listed Newgate House in Sandwich.

But the authority voted against the move at a recent full council meeting, angering residents who feel the site is an accident waiting to happen.

Cllr Dan Friend (Con), who represents the town, tabled the motion as he says the site is a “source of serious concern”.

He says the fenced-off property in New Street has been a thorn in the side of the town over three decades.

“The dilapidation is now to such a point that the roof has caved in and it's potentially causing an imminent danger,” he said.

“The floors of all the levels inside the house have completely collapsed and there's no safe way of accessing the inside of the property.

“We've had lots of problems with anti-social behaviour and people trespassing onto the property and gaining access.

“Due to the state of the property this is quite a major concern that people could potentially be killed.”

Cllr Friend said the council should “explore all legal avenues”, including a potential compulsory purchase order (CPO) which would allow the authority to acquire the site.

The vote for and against his motion was split 15-15 but was defeated by council chairman Cllr Gordon Cowan’s (Lab) casting vote.

Cllr Friend added: “The council has mandated that extra fencing be put up on that property and some has gone up, but as far as I know the trespassing still continues and people are still at risk.

“People in Sandwich are just sick to death of having this property as a blight on the town.

“Sandwich is the most complete medieval town. We have a huge tourism drag and our businesses rely on it.

“We attract people from all over the world and one of the first things they see when they enter our town is this building in a state of ruin that destroys the appearance of our wonderful town.”

A planning application, under the name of David Whitaker, was submitted in February 2023 in a bid to put scaffolding around the house and repair and rebuild the roof, but this has not yet been decided on by DDC.

A survey report submitted to the council from July 2023 told of the shocking condition such as collapsed flooring.

It said: “The ability to conduct any comprehensive survey of the inside of the building was severely constrained due to the dangerous state of the house where virtually all floors have collapsed.”

Residents have different ideas about what to do with the building, which is a late Georgian townhouse in the Sandwich conservation area.

Lawrence Whiteley, who lives in New Street, said: “It obviously needs repair. It needs planning passed and someone to get it done really.

“It's been sitting there for a long time and apparently it's going to fall down, so let's fix it before anyone gets hurt.”

Jane Russell, landlady of the Market Inn in the town centre, said: “It needs to be knocked down and replaced with new housing.”

But those against Cllr Friend’s CPO idea feel too much taxpayers’ money could be poured into one property.

Cllr Michael Nee (Lab) said at the full council meeting: “It’s not that I disagree with the disgrace the building is.

“In 2017 a quantity survey estimated costs at £800,000 just to repair the building to make it watertight and secure.

“That’s without any allowances for fitting out bathrooms and kitchens or services.

“That figure is now inflated by more than 40% to approximately £1,120,000.

“The real blockage is that we will not be able to afford it. I don't think we will be able to subsidise the hundreds of thousands required to repair this property.”

Cllr Edward Biggs (Lab) said putting scaffolding up around the property, expected to be there for a year, was estimated at £84,000.

And he commented that the Secretary of State could refuse a CPO.

He summed up: “We have to decide whether the fate of this one building, a private residence, warrants spending vast sums of taxpayers’ money.“

The council heard officers had been pursuing the owner to repair the building. This included looking into the possibility of enforcement action.

In 2016, the authority’s planning committee turned down an application for roof renovation and dormer window.

It decided the windows would not be in keeping with the property.

Following the full council meeting, a spokesman for DDC said it is “aware of the condition of this property and will continue to monitor it going forward”.

KentOnline has tried to seek a comment from the owner of the site.