Emails between council and owner of derelict Grosvenor Hotel in Bristol ‘cannot be published’

Emails between Bristol City Council and the owner of the derelict Grosvenor Hotel cannot be published due to “potential distress”.

A recent freedom of information request was refused due to the risk that the building owner could face “harassment through social media”.

The Grosvenor Hotel near Temple Meads has been left empty for several years and in October last year a fire ravaged the building. Council surveyors said the fire meant the hotel was at risk of collapse, so the adjacent pavement and cycle path was then fenced off.

People walking and cycling past the building - along a major commuter route from Bristol’s main train station into the city centre - have had to squeeze into a narrow temporary footpath for over a year. It remains unclear what, if any, action is being taken to remedy the situation.

The council’s response to the freedom of information request said: “Disclosure has the strong chance of causing potential harm or distress via release into the public domain, such as targeted harassment through social media and the pursuance of legal action.

“Additionally, in this situation the data subjects would have reasonable expectations that their personal information will remain confidential and would not be disclosed to the public. Based on the above factors, we consider that there is insufficient legitimate interest to outweigh the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individuals involved.”

In November last year, Bristol Magistrates Court ordered Nimish Popat, of Earlcloud Ltd, to make the building safe. However, no work appears to have been done on the hotel since then. Contact details for Nimish Popat could not be found before this article was published.

Two months ago, council bosses revealed that roosting bats could block the demolition of the hotel. John Smith, executive director of growth and regeneration, told councillors that the council “could ultimately carry out the works itself”, although there were “issues with costs”.

The FOI response added: “The Grosvenor Hotel site occupies a major gateway into the city and the council recognises the general public interest on how this location might be redeveloped. [However], confidentiality is essential to ensure proceedings are concluded with the minimum of avoidable distraction and diversion of resources.

“While there is public interest in the options for the Grosvenor Hotel site, there is very limited interest in the actual proceedings required to clarify and focus on what these options are.”