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Trial date set as defendants reveal intent to dismiss charges related to huge fire at retirement village
All six companies being prosecuted in relation to a fire at Beechmere retirement village in 2019 have made a submission to have a number of the charges dismissed.
During a pre-trial hearing yesterday, Chester Crown Court heard that the defendants had given notice of applications to dismiss a number of the charges in this case. No applications have yet been made.
Your Housing Group was one of six organisations that appeared in court this week, charged with fire safety offences, after the case was moved from Warrington Magistrates’ Court last month.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service announced a series of charges under fire safety legislation in July, which relate to its investigation of the fire that destroyed the Beechmere retirement village in Crewe in August 2019.
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A full list of the charges relating to each organisation can be found here.
The companies have the opportunity to file an application for a dismissal of certain charges and an application in relation to an abuse of process. If applications are made, the companies will return to court for four days on 22 April 2024 for a hearing.
A trial start date has been set for 6 May 2025 and is expected to last for 10 weeks.
At the magistrates’ court in October, Your Housing, Avantage (Cheshire) and Morgan Sindall Property Services all pleaded not guilty.
Your Housing, which was the ‘responsible person’ for fire safety at the development, faces 16 charges under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
These include a failure to take measures to prevent the spread of fire in the premises, a failure to ensure it was possible for people to evacuate the premises as quickly and as safely as possible, and a failure to ensure employees were provided with adequate safety training.
Avantage (Cheshire) procured the design and build process and operated the scheme. Morgan Sindall Property Services was contracted to provide repairs and maintenance.
The fire service has also charged three other firms, which each gave no indication of a plea at the magistrates’ court this week.
These were: WSP UK, a consultancy that provided a fire strategy for the building; Total Fire Group, which risk assessed Beechmere in 2017 and 2018; and Mac Roofing and Contracting, which carried out roofing works in the days immediately before the blaze.
Beechmere was a large retirement village, built using a timber-frame structure, which was almost completely destroyed in the fire.
More than 150 residents lost their homes and possessions. While none were injured, the fire service said the impact on their lives “has been significant”.
The development was a purpos-built housing scheme for people over 55, consisting of a block of 132 self-contained apartments. All the homes were designed for independent living with support, and varying levels of care if required.
The fire was one of the biggest ever attended by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, with 70 firefighters deployed at its height to bring it under control.
When it announced the charges in July, the fire service said: “This has been a long and complex process owing to the scale of the fire and the number of parties involved in designing, building, maintaining and managing the building.”
Following the hearing in October, a spokesperson for Your Housing Group said: “The safety and well-being of customers will always be our absolute priority at Your Housing and Avantage.
“Since 2019, we have continued to do all we can to support customers, families and colleagues who were affected by the fire at the PFI [private finance initiative] development at Beechmere. We have also financed and carried out fire safety works, in close liaison with [Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service], at other developments built as part of the same PFI project.
“Both Your Housing and Avantage have today entered pleas of not guilty to all charges. Given the ongoing legal proceedings, neither company is able to comment further at this time.”
Morgan Sindall Property Services said: ‘‘The safety and the well-being of residents is always our highest priority. We have fully supported the investigation into the incident and, as a responsible business, understand the need for Cheshire Fire and Rescue to take action.
“This is a complex matter, involving a number of companies, and we will not make further comment while the case is in progress.”
The other companies involved in this case have either declined or not responded to a request for comment so far.
As the case is now active, discussion is subject to the Contempt of Court Act 1981. As a result, comments are not permitted on this story and Inside Housing advises readers to show caution if discussing it on social media.
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