Shropshire Council has welcomed the inclusion of the Grade II listed New Market Building in Bridgnorth to the Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings for 2026, and the national attention this has brought to it. As the Society points out, responsibility for the care and maintenance remains with the absentee private owner, who unfortunately has a demonstrated record of failing to do so.
The council’s Building Control team had to intervene in 2018, incurring significant public expense to make the building safe and project the public. The owner subsequently failed to complete the repairs following this action and the condition of the building continues to deteriorate as a result.
Whilst remaining very mindful of the need to limit any further public expenditure, Shropshire Council is therefore once again having to actively consider using its discretionary statutory powers to pursue enforcement action, and is working with Historic England, councillors and local stakeholders to find a resolution for this building.
