Council hits out at Dereham hotel banner

Town bosses have hit out at the owners of a historic home in the centre of Dereham saying they are “completely failing the building”.The listed Queen Anne-style Hill House hotel, in Market Place, has a large banner across the top half of it.

Town bosses have hit out at the owners of a historic home in the centre of Dereham saying they are “completely failing the building”.

The listed Queen Anne-style Hill House hotel, in Market Place, has a large banner across the top half of it.

It is owned by MJB Hotels, which transformed the former home, dating back to the 1600s, into a 19-bedroom luxury hotel with restaurant which it opened in 2006.

But councillors who fought a long battle to get placards removed from another of the town's famous buildings, Canterbury House in Market Place, felt fast action was needed against the banner advertising a summer event.

Councillor John Gretton told the town council on Tuesday: “Hill House has considerable interest; it is where Sir John Penn edited the Paston Letters. It beggars belief someone could have a building like that and treat it in this way.”

He had been contacted by a previous owner of the house who felt the current owner was “completely failing the building” by putting up the banner, which covers three upstairs windows.

Breckland Council yesterday said it had asked for the sign to be taken down and would be considering what its next step would be.

The council agreed to write to the owner asking him to remove the banner.

No one from Hill House was available for comment.