THE Examiner has today demanded action over the Castle Hill hotel.
There have been no more moves to continue demolishing the partially-built hotel - despite promises of work starting yesterday.
And legal action by Kirklees Council could yet take months.
Last month the Examiner was assured work would start again on March 15.
That was yesterday but there was not a workman or bulldozer in sight on the famous hill.
The original deadline for demolition of the half-built, skeleton of a hotel was January 11 after Kirklees Council won its battle with developers the Thandi Partnership, ordering them to rip it down.
But nothing has been done at the site since Christmas when high winds stopped work.
Since then the Thandi Brothers have promised to re-start the work but nothing has happened.
Now we want to know:
* When the work will finally start?
* Why the work has been delayed for so long?
* Why the Thandi Brothers won't explain to the people of Huddersfield what is going on?
Since the beginning of the Castle Hill hotel saga the Examiner's letter pages have been full of the opinions of angry readers wanting action.
In February Kirklees Council took legal advice with a view to getting an injunction against the Thandi Partnership. This would force the developers to comply with the enforcement order requiring them to return the site to its former state.
But it could be months before any action lands the Thandi Brothers in court and until then work could remain at a standstill.
Building work was halted in May last year when council planning officers discovered the new Castle Hill hotel - in the shadow of the Victoria Tower - was being built too tall and too wide.
Although the Thandis originally appealed, they finally backed down and agreed to start removing the work already done in November.
But work halted soon after even though the Thandis have employed Lockwood-based architects One 17 AD to start drawing up plans for a replacement hotel once the demolition work is complete.
THE QUESTIONS:
* When will work finally start?
* Why is there such a delay?
* Why no explanation?
TIMELINE:
1998 - Thandi Partnership acquire Castle Hill Hotel
1998 - Original plans for redevelopment rejected
1999 - New plans submitted but still objections
2000 - Revised plans are drawn up but concerns continue
2002 - Planners agree extensions to hotel including 10 bedrooms
2003 - Demolition work starts on part of hotel
2003 - Public complaints that too much of old hotel is being demolished
2004 - May and work halted as Kirklees Council serves enforcement notice
2004 - August and an angry public meeting hears concerns over the new design, deemed too high and too big
2004 - November sees Thandi Partnership agreeing to demolish new structure
2005 - February sees council serve injunction on Thandis to force demolition
2005 - March deadline for work comes and goes
