Enforcement not ruled out amid Coventry hotel fire
It's after a second fire at the Allesley Hotel
Coventry City Council is not ruling out enforcement action, after another fire broke out at a derelict hotel in the city. But ordering buildings to be torn down is “not simple,” a spokesperson for the authority added.
The council also plans to meet the building’s owners and said it had been working with various groups on issues at the site. The statement comes days after fire crews from four areas of the city were sent to tackle a blaze at the former Allesley Hotel on Sunday, May 5.
Police confirmed yesterday, Monday, May 6 that they are treating the incident at the vacant Birmingham Road building as arson. It is the second fire at the site suspected to be deliberate in four months, and the fourth in less than two years.
A council spokesperson said: “Agencies are in regular and close contact concerning issues at the property. We will be reviewing the most recent incident and considering what steps to take and are waiting on reports from West Midlands Fire Brigade and the Police.
“We have been working jointly to address ongoing matters at the Allesley Hotel with West Midlands Fire Brigade and the Police. There have been a number of meetings, and conversations with the site owners – and enforcement powers have been used for previous incidents.
“We will also be meeting with the site owners, and we do not rule out any enforcement powers available to us being used. However, orders to mandate the demolition of the buildings are not simple and have to follow a range of legal steps.
“Police have increased patrols to the site and there are security cameras and similar in place. We would ask that all members of the public should refrain from visiting the site and if they notice any people trespass onto the site that they call police on 999.”