Danesholme residents 'being let down' after burned-down Talisman pub left insecure by new owners
The site of an arson-hit pub is still ‘extremely dangerous’, five weeks after it burned down.
The Talisman Pub in Boden Close, Corby, was severely damaged in a fire on August 26 after North Northamptonshire Councillor Simon Rielly (Lab, Oakley) had repeatedly raised the alarm over children causing trouble there.
Cllr Rielly appealed for the former owners, Star Pubs, to take action. The site was sold to SEP Properties just two days before it went up in flames.
But neither Star Pubs nor SEP secured the building, and the pub – once the heart of the Danesholme community – was set on fire.
Now the site is strewn with rubbish and building materials. A skip is open to the elements and piece of the building are falling off. Doors are fixed closed with planks of wood.
SEP Properties, owned by the Dudley-based Singh Sanghera family, specialises in commercial property. It has £200m in assets and recorded £11m in rental income in its latest accounts. The company often buys struggling or closed-down pubs and redevelops the sites.
Recent pub acquisitions include troubled sites like The Brown Jug in Walsall, The Blacks Head pub in Tean and The Terrace in Brownhills.
Cllr Rielly said: “This site is open and extremely dangerous with sharp glass hanging from windows, I am surprised no-one has got hurt.
“The responsibility for securing the property lies with the new owners. I have tried for weeks to get this site secure but the new owners seem reluctant to do so.
“This site needs to be secure as a matter of urgency. I have spoken to the council and they seem to be applying pressure.
“The new owners were urged several times to take immediate action to secure the property to prevent any further danger to the public.
“This hasn’t happened or it hasn’t been done properly.
“I had requested an urgent meeting, on site with the new owners and the council to discuss the current situation but this hasn’t happened.
“The residents are being let down.”
Police have arrested two teens, but have not yet laid any charges over the arson attack. North Northamptonshire Council have served notice on the owners to make urgent safety repairs to the property.
SEP did not respond to a request for comment from this newspaper.