THE DEVELOPER responsible for the restoration of The Raven Hotel says work is likely to begin in early 2020.
Malvern Homes Ltd acquired the property and its 2.4acre grounds from the owners of Droitwich’s Chateau Impney in March 2019, and planning consent for 51 new homes was awarded in March.
But the developer has remained fairly quiet in recent months, which led to a growing concern among the community the hotel could fall into a state of disrepair.
Pictures emerged in October of a hole in the roof and a petition was launched calling on the property’s owners to ‘guarantee and commit’ to restoring and developing the building, along with monthly updates.
Now the managing director of Malvern Homes David Rahal said he shared the same concerns and insisted he wanted to look after the historic elements of the partly-listed building.
“It is our intention to carry out the restoration of the old building at an early stage to ensure preservation of the property.
“We have an experienced and skilled team of tradesmen and take pride in producing a high standard of development.
“Our intention is to ensure we are all proud of the finished project on completion.”
Wychavon District Council leader Coun Bradley Thomas, Coun Richard Morris and council officers recently met the chairman of Droitwich Means Business, Matt Nicol to discuss the issues surrounding the development.
Mr Nicol said: “The Raven is currently derelict and needs a lot of TLC and work to preserve the Grade II listed parts of the building.
“Discussions are now under way on the best way to take this project forward and to secure this site for the town and future generations.
“Malvern Homes has already demonstrated its commitment to the project and the company has a reputation for quality developments which don’t cut corners.”
