REGENERATING the remaining part of the former St Andrew's Dock could take years, city councillors have warned campaigners.
Pressure has been growing on Hull City Council to intervene over the future of the derelict Lord Line trawler offices at the eastern end of the dock.
The building is one of the last physical reminders of what used to be the home of the world's largest deep-water fishing fleets.
It is owned by the North Ferriby-based Manor Property Group, which has long-standing planning consent for a student accommodation development on land around the old dock.
However, the only recent work carried out at the site has been the demolition of a number of disused buildings close to the old Lord Line offices.
Last year, the council issued a legal notice requiring the company to carry out repairs to the building to keep it safe.
Yesterday, councillors were presented with a 629-name petition calling for the Lord Line to be preserved for future generations.
It was handed over by Bob Brewer from the Action for Hull Facebook group, one of several social media forums currently lobbying for action to be taken.
He said either its owners should take more responsibility for the building or the council should consider buying it through a compulsory purchase order.
Mr Brewer said the offices, together with the remaining dock, offered an unique opportunity for Hull to properly mark its fishing heritage.
He said it could even become part of a "timeline" along the city's waterfront, linking the city's immediate industrial history with its future in the shape of the new Siemens offshore wind turbine facility at Alexandra Dock.
Former council leader, Councillor Colin Inglis, whose trawlerman father worked for Lord Line, described the current state of the area as "shocking".
He said: "The remaining St Andrew's Dock site has got to be a priority for the council.
"But it's worth recalling that St Stephen's, which was a similar-sized development in terms of land, cost £250m to deliver and it took ten years to assemble the site.
"A compulsory purchase order is not as Draconian as it needs to be, but there has to be a viable and reasonable plan in place identifying what the problems are with a site and how you are going to overcome them.
"We needed private capital to help deliver the plan for St Stephen's and I have no doubt that it what is required for St Andrew's Dock."
Councillor John Fareham said it was time for everyone with an interest in the area to come together to plan its future.
He said a privately-owned site created problems, but claimed Manor Property Group had an obligation to at least maintain its buildings in good condition.
Cllr Fareham said: "The Lord Line building is more significant as a symbol for what was there than having any real architectural merit but it is iconic because it is a gateway to Hull."
Manor Property Group have not commented on the issue.
'Site looks a disgrace'DEPUTY city council leader Councillor Daren Hale said: "The site is currently a mess and looks a disgrace.
"The problem we face is that it is not in the ownership of the local authority. We can influence things, but we are limited in what we can do about it."
He said it was "not acceptable" for developer Manor Property Group to restrict access to parts of the former dock where people go to remember relatives and friends who were lost at sea.
Councillor John Hewitt said: "It would taken a fortune to redevelop the area."
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