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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.
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.
