‘Eyesore’ hotel in Abingdon hit by graffiti

The Upper Reaches Hotel, off Thames Street next to Abingdon Bridge, closed in 2015 and has been boarded up. The freehold of the site is owned by Vale of White Horse District Council and the area occupied by the hotel buildings and its immediate surroundings is on a 125-year lease dating back to 1969. READ MORE: Burglary at Oxford Wine Company store Since 2004 the lease has been held by Contemporary Hotels. In November Friends of Abingdon Civic Society urged the owner, Ambar Paul, to meet council leaders to decide its future. Mr Paul said at the time he was prepared to spend £6m on a hotel scheme but only if he was granted the freehold. But it appears that a meeting has not yet taken place. A spokesman for Vale of White Horse District Council said: “As long leaseholder of the Upper Reaches site, Contemporary Hotels needs to take the initiative with development proposals. “The council, as landowner, is looking forward to successfully meeting with Mr Paul to explore how we might help him achieve his long-awaited development ambitions on the site. “We’re really keen to see some further progress for what should be a huge asset to the...