The future of Carlisle’s derelict Central Plaza hotel hangs in the balance, with just weeks to decide its fate.

Carlisle City Council is currently marketing the Victoria Viaduct site to potential developers, in the hope of finding someone to take it on.

But the final date for expressions of interest is just over two weeks away, closing on December 31.

Council leaders hope that by this date there will be at least one, if not more, clear proposals for the site.

But if not, the council - which does not own the hotel - will have to decide whether to acquire the site itself, in a potentially costly move.

The Central Plaza has long been one of Carlisle’s biggest eyesores, having fallen into a state of disrepair.

A Grade II-listed building, it was once a prime location for visitors to the city.

But after shutting in 2004, the building was abandoned and is now ownerless.

As a result, the hotel is subject to an unusual legal process called escheat.

This means the title to the land is held by the Crown Estate, but it is not responsible for its upkeep.

As a result, when the building became unsafe earlier this year, it was the city council that had to step in and make expensive repairs - at a cost to the taxpayer.

The building was in such a dangerous state, Victoria Viaduct had to be closed to both cars and pedestrians for weeks during May and June.

To date, the hotel has cost the council £900,000.

Leader Colin Glover said that, in a bid to resolve the issue once and for all, they agreed to market the property to potential developers.

They are now crossing everything that by December 31,

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there will be at least one viable proposal on the table.

He said: “We can’t just wait for the next lot of deterioration.

“We’re working extremely hard to move it forward.

“We agreed that we would market it as a development opportunity.

“The closing date for interest is December 31.

“If by then, we’ve got one or more potential developers we can then introduce them to the Crown Estate.

“If that isn’t successful, then we have some decisions to make - and they are bound to put pressure on budgets.”

Deputy leader Les Tickner added: “There has been interest but December 31 will be the clincher. That will determine which direction we need to take.”

One Newcastle-based company, Inveniam, has previously said it is keen to transform the Central Plaza into a 60-bedroom hotel with a bar, bistro, meeting and office space.

If this doesn’t materialise, or if no other developers come forward in time, the council may have to take on the site itself and potentially demolish it, to avoid a repeat of the problems back in May.

But such a move would be incredibly costly, and may prove unpopular with those who have campaigned to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory.

The council had hoped to get some funding from the Government to cover the costs of repairing the building. But to date, that has not materialised.

Mr Glover added: “My frustration is that, if you look at the Crown Estate’s website it talks about the profits it returns to Government for the benefit of the nation. What about this part of the nation?