Exactly a year ago, we reported how a once-pretty building in an important shopping street had been allowed to become a horrendous eyesore. Local businesses accused Bridgend Council of failing to take action as 53 Nolton Street fell into disrepair. Now anger is mounting as the last year has only seen the three-storey site deteriorate further.
Sarko Hassani, a barber at the Golden Cut shop opposite, feels let down by the council. "If something like this was in Cardiff they wouldn't leave it for years," said the 20-year-old. "I think they would fix it in five or six months maximum."
Known locally as The Ranch, the former Bridgend chip shop is derelict with a caved-in roof, boarded-up windows, large holes in the exterior and piles of debris inside. Health and safety fencing means pedestrians have to cross to the other pavement to walk past.
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The site, which dates back to 1905, was damaged by fire in April 2020, but even before the blaze there were frustrations as the owner Abdul Muhith ignored council pleas to improve the empty building's condition. Police believe the fire was started deliberately though no suspect was identified.
A year ago we reported how the council had not sent Mr Muhith a notice demanding improvement since 2020. This week we asked the council what action it has taken in the last 12 months and whether it has considered a compulsory purchase order. A spokesman said the situation is "not straightforward" and there is "no quick or easy solution".
"We are unable to go into explicit detail at this time, but discussions have been held with a view to seeing the premises sold to a developer, and evaluations and estimates in support of this are currently being carried out," he added. "At the same time, further legal action is being considered while a structural engineer has identified what works would be necessary to bring the building back into use in the event that suitable funding was to become available."
As with our previous coverage Mr Muhith, 43, has not responded to approaches for comment. In 2018 he was disqualified from being a company director for six years because of his "conduct" while running Bombay Spice, a Swansea business which has since closed down. According to Land Registry documents he bought The Ranch in 2011 for £110,000. Around that time the unit was a restaurant called Mumbai King. It later became an Italian called Franco's but the site appears to have been empty since 2015.
Mr Hassani of Golden Cut believes people avoid the street because they fear the Ranch will one day "crash down", though the council insists the building is safe. The barber added: "The view from the shop is this place. It's really ugly and getting much worse. People are getting scared to come towards the shop. All the customers see it and they always ask me, 'Anything new?' I have to tell them there is no update."
John Pritchard, who owns nearby antique shop Quirky, said: "It would be lovely if it was done up. It's such a shame because it could be an asset to the town and bring more people in. It's a waste of a beautiful building. We're at the point now where we say, 'If you can't find us, we're opposite the burned-out building.' It would be nice if we could say we're opposite a lovely old building."
The 56-year-old added that he would be happy to pull together with other business owners and discuss ideas for the site. He believes a large advertising hoarding would be preferable to the current view.
According to documents we obtained last year, the council wrote to Mr Muhith in April 2019, asking for his "cooperation" to improve the site. Three months later the council issued a notice saying there had been "no significant improvement". The notice told Mr Muhith to make changes including removing old wooden boards and a tarpaulin, repainting concrete and reglazing windows and doors.
Mr Muhith failed to do so. Then the fire in April 2020 made the building a safety risk. The council stepped in with emergency work to remove loose roof tiles, damaged guttering and other debris which could have fallen to the street below. And the council had to act again in October that year, telling Mr Muhith it would remove a dangerous piece of timber overhanging nearby properties. Two weeks later Mr Muhith, of West Cross in Swansea, admitted failing to comply with the council's original warning. He was ordered to pay £462 at Cardiff Magistrates' Court.
The council spokesman said: “While options for dealing with the matter through Building Control are limited as the structure has not been found to be externally dangerous, a great deal of work has been taking place behind the scenes to address the problem... Bridgend County Borough Council remains committed towards finding a solution to this issue, and thanks businesses and residents for their patience and understanding in the meantime.”
Speaking about the 2020 fire, a South Wales Fire Service spokeswoman said the structure of the building was "deemed unsafe to conduct a fire investigation" but it was suspected to be deliberate. And a South Wales Police spokesman said: "It was treated as a deliberate fire and all available lines of enquiry were followed up at the time, but no suspect could be identified and no arrests were made. Of course, if anybody has information about the incident they can contact us via 101 and give reference *129055. Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
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