Demand for action on Bristol eyesore building

It's an eyesore building which passengers arriving at Bristol Temple Meads railway station have been greeted with for the past 12 years.

Now councillors and an MP have called for action to be taken over the derelict former Royal Mail sorting office in Cattle Market Road.

The prominent building has been empty since Royal Mail vacated it and moved to Filton in 1997, and remains undeveloped despite planning permission being granted in 2005 to turn it into flats, workspaces and offices.

Over the years, the building has fallen into despair, attracted vandals and drug addicts and even became the scene of a serious accident in 2005, when Bedminster teenager Daniel Jones fell 20ft through a glass roof while playing in the building.

Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy and city councillors for the Lawrence Hill ward, Susan O'Donnell and Brenda Hugill, say the Seventies building has now been left to rot for too long.

It is understood archaeological digs and clearance work has taken place on the site in recent years, but demolition has not begun.

Labour MP Ms McCarthy said: "It's an eyesore and doesn't create a very good impression of Bristol when you arrive on the train. It's prime land and should be used for something. It's completely going to waste. Should we talk about a compulsory purchase?"

She added: "It would make a big difference to Cattle Market Road if it were developed. There's a derelict pub there and it's become a dingy back street along the Feeder, when it could be a lovely part of the city."

Councillor Hugill said: "It's always sad when buildings are left empty and become eyesores.

"When developers get planning permission, they should act on it and not leave it hanging, which makes the city look poorer. The developers should have a sense of pride about the city they are developing."

Councillor O'Donnell said: "It's annoying a prime site like that is being left undeveloped.

"I understand it's difficult to get resources for developments at the moment because of the recession, but there have been plenty of opportunities historically to get this turned into something useful and attractive."

Shepherdess Holdings' sister company Media Office bought the site for £2 million in 2000. It outbid the South West Regional Development Agency, which wanted the site for the doomed Bristol Arena project.

Media Office won planning permission to convert the site into 107 flats, seven studio workspaces, walkways and offices in 2005.

According to the Land Registry, the site is now owned by Kian Gwan Land Limited, which bought it for £5.3 million in May last year. KGLL was unavailable for comment.

Kate Hartas, spokeswoman for the city council, said it had this month agreed to sell off a small piece of land it owned in front of the former sorting office to the developer.