Mayor condemns state of Hungerford Co-op building

Martin Crane (pictured) said tenants of the retail giant were living in “abject misery”.
After many months of wrangling over the issue, Hungerford Town Council eventually secured an undertaking in principal that the Grade II listed building, Number 16, High Street (incorrectly numbered 15 and 15a), should be renovated.
That was last August - but the dilapidated state of the complex continues to be a thorn in councillors’ sides.
One of the latest problems was an infestation of rats.
This was dealt with but town mayor Martin Crane has written to Co-op executives, saying: “This piecemeal approach to the major renovation project is not acceptable.
“I must insist that the Co-op now produce a programme of works that can be monitored by Hungerford Town Council and West Berkshire Council alike and that suits the
current occupants who, after 55 years of living there, deserve better treatment than the Co-op has shown to date.”
He called for “urgent and comprehensive attention from your senior management for their top down endorsement.”
Last year it emerged that the building was so neglected there were fears it could become a serious public safety risk.
Water was pouring in to the basement of the complex adjacent the Co-op store, while parts of the rear outer structure have rotted away.
Mr Crane said at the time: “We have been trying for years to get them to do something about the state of it. It’s a distinctive building right in the town centre which has been allowed to fall into disrepair over some 40 years.”
Among the building’s long-standing residents are Viv and Rita Long.
Mrs Long, a dance teacher, and her retired butcher husband moved in following their honeymoon in 1955.
She said: “A year ago a water tank burst and water cascaded down through the building.”
Flood damage from that incident is still apparent.
At a recent town council meeting, Mr Crane said: “I’ve written again to the directors, with no response. The people who live there are in abject misery and the time has come for the Co-op to own up to their responsibility.
“How a so-called commercial company can operate this way is beyond me. They seem totally inept and are a strange company to have to deal with.”
District councillor Paul Hewer (Con) told the meeting he would put pressure on West Berkshire Council health chiefs to act.
A spokesman for the Co-op, Steve Smith, said: “As councillor Crane states in his letter, we have appointed consultants to assess the work that needs doing and to propose a schedule of works.
“Again, as stated by the mayor, the building is listed and so any remedial work could need planning consent but it’s our intention to complete the work as soon as possible.”