# Another One Bites The Dust



## highcannons (Dec 20, 2011)

Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Cornish Guardian Newspaper

THE PENDENNIS HOTEL is the third disused Newquay building to go up in flames in the past 12 months.

Firefighters were called to the Riviera Hotel in Lusty Glaze Road in September and the Tallavera Hotel on Trebarwith Crescent last December – all used by squatters.

Now, police, firefighters, council officers and civic figures are putting increased pressure on the owners of similar buildings to seal off these potential death traps.

"It's a question of responsibility," said Newquay Mayor Andy Hannan. "These buildings are attracting illegal occupants and risking lives. It's unfair to expect the police to be constantly monitoring them.

"Many of the owners of these properties live quite a long way from Newquay. It's not enough to come down and make a building secure and then leave. These buildings need regular inspections."

Council environmental health officers carried out a general survey of the town's at-risk properties last month, highlighting nine which could be attractive to squatters.

Among them, the Fistral Bay Hotel, the largest vacant property in the Pentire area, was singled out in the survey as particularly at risk.

Newquay fire service watch manager Sean Taylor also carried out a survey of the dilapidated hotel a few weeks ago.

"It's a potentially lethal site," he said. "It would be very dangerous to commit crews to an incident there.

"But if we think we can save a life by going in, we will risk crew members' lives to do so. We urge unauthorised visitors to stay away."

Police confirmed that they had been in contact with the squatters at the Pendennis Hotel before the fire.

However, local authorities say they are battling against the huge pressures as a result of the economic downturn.

"A lot of these old hotels were bought by developers, but the credit crunch means they haven't been able to carry out their plans," said Mr Taylor. "

The owners of the Pendennis Hotel had been in the process of legally evicting the squatters, and this is something that Mayor Hannan would encourage.


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## Foxylady (Dec 20, 2011)

highcannons said:


> The owners of the Pendennis Hotel had been in the process of legally evicting the squatters, and this is something that Mayor Hannan would encourage.


Apart from the fire, this really gets my goat. They're equating squatters with vandals, but the homeless are sometimes an asset to a place to stop it deteriorating. Maybe the owners prefer the place to be empty so that it'll deteriorate more rapidly and have to be demolished? And while places are left empty, they prefer to see the homeless on the streets? What the hell''s wrong with this picture!!!


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## night crawler (Dec 20, 2011)

Foxylady said:


> Apart from the fire, this really gets my goat. They're equating squatters with vandals, but the homeless are sometimes an asset to a place to stop it deteriorating. Maybe the owners prefer the place to be empty so that it'll deteriorate more rapidly and have to be demolished? And while places are left empty, they prefer to see the homeless on the streets? What the hell''s wrong with this picture!!!



Proably because the had to brake into squat in the first place. What pisses me of is when the brake into some ones property and squat then clame rights. They have no rights and should be thrown out but I do agree on what you say about the hotels, if the developers did let people stay on sight it would help with the up keeping the place.


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## highcannons (Dec 20, 2011)

night crawler said:


> Probably because the had to break into squat in the first place. What pisses me of is when the break into some ones property and squat then claim rights. They have no rights and should be thrown out but I do agree on what you say about the hotels, if the developers did let people stay on sight it would help with the up keeping the place.



Ooer! Newquay has really serious problems re lawlessness, and I don't as a matter of routine include squatters.

As said, squatters aint gonna trash the place while they are using it. Vandals in Newquay are an issue. But then more of an issue is dodgy night clubs, very serious lap dancing places (Newquay now licence these, lager louts, stag and hen parties etc) Half of Newquay want to have more and make loads of money, the other half want to 'clean up Newquay', both sides want to get rid of derelict/run down properties. Fire is a very good method. The fact that the Fire Service felt the need to run a risk assessment on the place says it all....


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## highcannons (Dec 20, 2011)

Ah! Lots of development next door....


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## krela (Aug 4, 2012)

There was another fire at the Riviera last night.


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