THE owners of a derelict Harlech hotel have been warned that they could face further legal action­ unless they tidy up the site.

In September, Aitchison Associates were fined the maximum £1,000 by magistrates in Caernarfon for failing to comply with an enforcement notice served on them by the Snowdonia National Park Authority to demolish the former St David’s Hotel and clear the site.

The hotel was built in 1910 and then rebuilt in 1922 after a major fire, but it closed in 2008. In 2009, the national park authority granted the company planning consent for the demolition of the hotel and adjacent college hall of residence, and for the construction of a new 130-bedroom hotel, along with 76 holiday apartments.

The development did not go ahead and in December 2015, notice was served on the owners because of growing concern about the app­earance of the property, which stands in a prominent position near the Harlech Conservation Area and alongside the A496, one of the main approaches to the town. Many local residents have complained about the eyesore.

The company, which is based in Gibraltar, was given until April this year to comply, but the site was left untouched.

No-one from Aitchison Associates was in court for the September hearing when the company was also ordered to pay costs of £552 and a surcharge of £100.

The property remains unsightly, the court heard, with part of the roof and some of the windows having collapsed, and in a report to this week’s meeting of the national park planning committee, officers stated: “The authority has written to the company to strongly advise them to comply with the notice or further proceedings will be taken.”