Owner of imposing art-deco Fernwood Water Tower, near Newark, to be billed for cost of securing the site
The owner of the imposing art-deco Fernwood Water Tower is to be invoiced the cost of making the site secure because children have been getting inside.
Fernwood Parish Council told the Advertiser it had contacted the owner of the water tower to request that he repair his fences on many occasions.
It said that each time, he had committed to get them fixed but then failed to do so.
Parish clerk Marion Fox Goddard said: "When the council received a report that children were entering the building, I contacted the police and Newark and Sherwood District Council's anti-social behaviour team immediately to see what could be done to help address the issue.
"The anti-social behaviour officer raised the problem with the environmental health team at NSDC.
"NSDC has served a notice informing the owner of the council’s intention to board over the openings of the water tower on or after November 4.
"The owner will be invoiced for the works.
"Regarding the fence, there is no legislation available to NSDC to require owners to maintain their fence.
"The owner has a duty of care to prevent injury to those entering the land, even trespassers, but this is dealt with under civil law and is not enforceable by NSDC.
"I have also asked if NSDC’s community protection officers can do some patrols in the area whilst we are waiting for the site to be secured and they have agreed to do so.
"Fernwood Parish Council is thankful to NSDC for their help in tackling this issue."
The area county councillor, Johno Lee, said the authority was looking into what enforcement options it had on highways grounds.
The tower has planning permission for 13 one and two-bedroomed apartments.
Permission was granted for three new-build units within proposed wings to the tower and a further eight apartments in two new blocks within the L-shaped grounds.
Two apartments would be in the tower itself.
Despite being known locally as the Water Tower, the iconic building was originally constructed in the 1930s as a chimney and is the only surviving section of the former Balderton Hospital.
A previous application to knock it down was refused on the grounds of loss to the community.
