Many of us have fond memories of times we spent in Gloucester’s Fleece Hotel. But a whole generation now probably have no memory of it at all. It traded as an inn for almost 500 years until 2002 when the bill for electrical repairs became too much for its then owners.

It was purchased by the South West Regional Development Agency (part of the Government) who held it for a decade and shamefully did nothing with it, aside from letting it rot. By the time it passed to the City Council when the agency was disbanded, it had every problem imaginable – wet rot, dry rot, cracked timbers, water ingress and more besides.

The council spent over £300,000 on stabilisation works

The Council immediately spent over £300,000 on stabilisation works to secure the buildings and has carried out further site investigations including archaeology so any developer taking it on knows exactly what they are getting into.

Up until this point it has been difficult to find a solution for the site – which is far bigger than you would first think. The narrow entrance from Westgate Street and the black and white timbered façade are the parts that you see, but the site runs back to Cross Keys Lane and across to Bull Lane – a huge area in total.

It is made up of a collection of buildings of different ages, the most important of which is the former Monks Retreat with its 12th century vaulted ceiling – reputed to be one of the finest in Europe. A fire in the Edwardian block in 2017 added to the challenges the site faces.

I believe it could make a big difference to Westgate Street

The Council is part way through a procurement exercise to find a developer partner and I am optimistic about The Fleece’s future. There are a number of interested parties, all of whom are known to us, and they have presented their ideas for the site. We will make a decision later this year.

The heritage element of the Government’s Future High Street Fund may help to fund the scheme, but it is likely to need ongoing council support. I’m very keen to see this site brought back into use and believe it could make a big difference to Westgate Street and the city centre as a whole.