Fire gutted hotel owners ordered to demolish

The owners of a fire damaged 15th Century hotel have been ordered to start demolition and preservation work.

A blaze at the Raven Hotel in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, gutted the grade II listed landmark in August.

Live Urban Two Limited, which owns the building, has been issued with a clear timetable of work needed to make the property safe again.

The order, granted at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on 26 June under Section 77 of the Building Act 1984, also gave Wychavon District Council the power to step in if the timetable was not met.

The council had been attempting to work with the owner since the blaze, a spokesperson said.

It said informal requests for a detailed programme of works had been sent in September 2025, January 2026 and again in May this year.

The owner is said to have assured the council progress was being made, but no meaningful work followed.

"The people of Droitwich Spa deserve better than constant excuses and false assurances," council leader Richard Morris said.

The building meant a lot to the town and the council would do what was necessary to protect it, he added.

The Raven shut as a hotel more than 10 years ago and has sat empty since then.

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