Chesterfield Hotel car park sealed off

A car park at the former Chesterfield Hotel has been blocked off.
Chesterfield Hotel car park has been blocked off.Chesterfield Hotel car park has been blocked off.
Chesterfield Hotel car park has been blocked off.

A sign at the Malkin Street site reads: "This car park will be sealed off on Tuesday, February 16, with concrete barriers.

"Any cars present on site on this date will be sealed in.

"Should any cars be left on site the cost to move the blocks to enable them to leave is £600 plus VAT."

A note left at the Chesterfield Hotel car park.A note left at the Chesterfield Hotel car park.
A note left at the Chesterfield Hotel car park.
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When the Derbyshire Times visited the site on Tuesday afternoon, no cars were blocked in.

Chesterfield Hotel - which has been shut for just over a year - could eventually become property of the Crown.

Companies House has written to the firm which operated the former hotel, GS Trading VI (Chesterfield) Ltd, warning it could be struck off and dissolved after it failed to file its accounts on time.

GS Trading VI (Chesterfield) Ltd has remained an active company since the well-known hotel closed on January 31, 2015, after nearly 140 years.

The former hotel could become property of the Crown.The former hotel could become property of the Crown.
The former hotel could become property of the Crown.
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A letter sent to the firm by Companies House states: "Upon dissolution all property and rights vested in, or held in trust for, the company are deemed to be bona vacantia and accordingly will belong to the Crown."

A Government spokesman said: "'Bona vacantia' means vacant goods and is the name given to ownerless property, which by law passes to the Crown.

"The Treasury solicitor acts for the Crown to administer the estates of people who die without a will and without known blood relatives and collect the assets of dissolved companies and other various ownerless goods in England and Wales."

However, Companies House has received an objection to the proposal to strike off and dissolve the company - meaning action has been temporarily suspended but could still go ahead in the future.

Vandals have targeted the site.Vandals have targeted the site.
Vandals have targeted the site.
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According to Companies House, such an objection may be made if some form of action is being taken, or is pending, to recover any money owed.

Forty-five members of staff lost their jobs when Chesterfield Hotel shut and workers are currently going through the employment tribunal process over alleged unpaid wages and redundancy payouts.

The Derbyshire Times asked a representative of GS Trading VI (Chesterfield) Ltd to comment on the future of the prominent Malkin Street building but didn't receive a response.

Last month, Spanish businessman Malcolm Aw resigned as a director of GS Trading VI (Chesterfield) Ltd.

A note left at the Chesterfield Hotel car park.A note left at the Chesterfield Hotel car park.
A note left at the Chesterfield Hotel car park.
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Mr Aw, of Adeje, Tenerife, became a director of the firm last March.

The 68-year-old told the Derbyshire Times he wanted nothing more to do with the company.

He had intended to allow the building to be used by organisations which help vulnerable people - but this never happened.

Mr Aw is also a director of Waterleau Plc, a London-based company which aims to provide an 'inexhaustible supply of fresh and pure drinking water'.

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GS Trading VI (Chesterfield) now has just one director - Daniel James O'Doherty. The 71-year-old is also the sole shareholder.

Chesterfield Hotel opened in 1877 and was a major employer and social venue in the town over the years.

The former hotel could become property of the Crown.The former hotel could become property of the Crown.
The former hotel could become property of the Crown.

When it closed, town leaders and residents expressed their sadness at the demise of the much-loved institution which was one of Chesterfield's longest-running businesses.

The exact reason for Chesterfield Hotel's closure has never been revealed - but the town's MP Toby Perkins held urgent talks with representatives from the business to discuss various financial problems before it shut.

The abandoned building is currently under constant security surveillance and boards cover a number of ground-floor windows which have been smashed by vandals.