A hotel in Abingdon which has been described as an eyesore has been hit by graffiti, and is continuing to deteriorate.
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.
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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.
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 town.”
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Daryl Jones, a member of the group who lives near the hotel, said: "It is still an eyesore and continues to deteriorate month by month.
"There is new graffiti on the hoardings surrounding it and it continues to get worse.
"We want something done - Abingdon is a scenic town but this is a horrendous eyesore.
"The hotel is just a small element of Mr Paul's property portfolio so it seems to be low on his priority list and that's very frustrating.
"Maybe it would make sense now to demolish the existing building and start again - I can't imagine what it's like now inside.
"It looks like the past few months have been wasted and we will continue to push for progress."
Mr Paul has not commented.
The London-based businessman said in November he understood the frustration of people living near the derelict building.
He added: "I'm hoping the council will be more flexible. This area could be a showcase for Abingdon. I'm not running away."
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One possibility mentioned by Mr Paul is a new hotel featuring about 50 bedrooms.
The Hilton Garden Inn in Marcham Road, Abingdon opened at the end of 2018, and a new 86-bedroom Premier Inn opened in Marcham Road last year.
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
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