Landmark Bridge Hotel in Sutton Bridge will not be asylum seeker facility, developer vows

The team which revamped a landmark former hotel insist the building will not be handed over to the Home Office for asylum seekers.

API Property Investments has invested £1.5 million to transform the former eyesore Bridge Hotel in Sutton Bridge into flats — and say they have received threats since South Holland District Council spoke out about the prospect of an asylum facility in the village.

The team has said it is not intending to let the building to the Home Office or any other public body — and is disappointed that the council had issued its statement without contacting them first.

The firm says that the statement is based on concerns surrounding an enquiry made by a third party — and that it has jumped to conclusions that are not accurate.

A statement from API, which has already transformed other grot spot buildings in South Holland such as Donington’s Red Cow, said: “We want to be unequivocal: it is not our intention to let this building to the Home Office or any government or local authority body.”

It goes onto state: “We read South Holland District Council’s press release with considerable surprise and disappointment. The statement makes reference to this property in terms that imply an agreement or an advanced arrangement is in place. This is factually incorrect.

“It appears the council has based its public statement solely on an enquiry made to them by a third party. We wish to make this absolutely clear: an enquiry made by a third party to a local authority is entirely outside of our control. We cannot prevent any individual or organisation from making enquiries to any body they choose.

“Such an enquiry does not represent our intentions, does not constitute an agreement, and should not be treated as evidence that any arrangement is in place or forthcoming. The decision on whether to let this property, and to whom, rests solely with API Property Investments.

“What is particularly concerning is that this public statement — which has caused significant reputational harm and unnecessary public alarm — was issued without any attempt to contact us directly to verify the facts. We have not received a single phone call, email, or letter from any officer or elected member at South Holland District Council seeking to clarify our intentions.

“We note with specific disappointment that Coun Nick Worth and Coun Tracey Carter — both named in the press release — have had direct contact with us through previous projects. They know how to reach us. A simple conversation would have established the facts immediately and this situation need never have arisen.”

The Bridge Hotel was last used in 2008 and had been subjected to arson and vandalism to slowly degrade and create an prominent eyesore at the gateway to the county.

It was purchased by API in 2024 and the firm received planning permission last year to turn the building into 15 flats.

The API statement said: “The Sutton Bridge development represents a £1.5 million private investment by API Property Investments.

“As responsible investors, we undertook a thorough commercial review of the property, during which we explored a range of options for its use. As part of that process, the building was put to open tender, and discussions took place with several different third parties. The Home Office was among a number of parties that expressed interest.

“After careful consideration — weighing both the needs of the local community and the commercial realities of a high-density residential development — the directors of API Property Investments, Jamie Sandford and Rob Bridgewater, made a clear and deliberate decision: the properties would be offered on individual tenancies on the open market.

“No agreement with the Home Office, any government body, any local authority, or any other third party has been entered into.”

The building and the firm have been placed in the spotlight since the council issued its statement yesterday — and the matter had featured on the BBC Look North programme.

The statement went onto say: “We do not oppose the council’s right to advocate for its residents, and we understand the sensitivities around housing policy in the area. However, advocacy must be grounded in fact.

“We would welcome the opportunity to meet with council representatives to discuss matters openly, and would ask that any future public communications concerning this property are made only after direct engagement with us as the property owner.

“We remain committed to this investment and to contributing positively to the local housing market in South Holland.”

A public meeting and protest demonstration have both already been planned in the village regarding the perceived threat of an asylum facility.