Posted:
11:58 am December 3, 2021
Foxes have reportedly made their home in the sleeping cabins of a hotel that hopes to open in 2022.
Cuba Street’s Snoozebox real estate site, Canary Wharf, has also attracted fly dumps and graffiti as its opening is delayed by the pandemic.
Waste dumped at the site – which is said to be a state-of-the-art facility offering sleeping containers to provide inexpensive accommodation – includes mattresses, signage and other trash.
Snoozebox, which has another branch in Newham near London’s West Ham Stadium, said it hopes to open the dilapidated Canary Wharf branch early next year.
A spokesperson said: âIt is unfortunate that Canary Wharf [Snoozebox] hasn’t opened yet – we are pushing to open in [the first quarter of] 2022, but supply chain issues and the pandemic have helped delay things.
âRegarding waste, we send a team every week to check on the site.
âWe often find trash on the site, illegally dumped or thrown on the fence – we do our best to clean it up when we can.
“Ballymore also recently repainted the fence because it was heavily tagged.”
The Snoozebox hotel in Canary Wharf was planned under a three to five year lease with developers Ballymore, owner of the site.
Ballymore had originally planned to build two towers at the site, but turned to Snoozebox when his request was denied.
He now plans to build a 52-story tower on the site if approved by the Tower Hamlets board.
Part of the site is currently used as a parking lot for Ballymore staff.
Andrew Wood, Canary Wharf adviser, suggested the site could have been used as temporary accommodation for some of the 21,000 people on the waiting list for social housing at Tower Hamlets.
He said: âIt is a shame that this site, like many others, has gone unused for such a long time.
âThe portacabins could have been an ideal short-term base for people on the council’s social housing waiting list rather than being placed in a hostel or bed and breakfast outside of Tower Hamlets while ‘they are waiting for other accommodation to become available, as has happened to some. “
Tower Hamlets Council and Ballymore have been contacted for comment.