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It has been revealed that the co-owner of an abandoned and burned-down former car showroom, convicted of dangerousness, had already been fined after dying in other of its disused locations.
The former Lewes Road dealership, Brighton, is jointly owned by John Blankson and, according to Brighton and Hove News, the 69-year-old, his company and a co-director have all been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). . ) in 2010 for the tragic twist of fate that occurred at the site of his structure just over a mile away.
Blankson, his corporate GDP (UK) and co-director Steven Moore were fined £15,000 after 24-year-old Edward Dean entered the site of the Seven Dials structure, fell into a basement backyard over an unprotected edge and died.
The former exhibition site, believed to have once been occupied by Scotts Garage, is owned by Mark Buckle, 63, and Emmanuel Blankson, 66.
Brighton and Hove News reported that the local council said this month that after the Lewes Road site suffered three fires and a teenager reportedly fell from the roof of a vacant building, it was seeking action from the owners to make sure the site was well secured.
The council also suggested other people report it to the HSE if they saw it loitering or playing there.
Brighton and Hove News quoted Tiffany Williams, co-owner of the nearby Kicks martial arts centre on Lewes Road, as saying: “We know of other people coming in and out through the back exit.
“A few weeks ago, I told two young teenagers who were in the back of the hotel to get out and waited for them to leave.
“They were laughing and one of them had fallen off the roof, so his friend was waiting for him to come out. They were both fine, but I told them how harmful it was and not to happen again.
Permission to build apartments there was granted to Blankson in 2020 but expired in 2023 after work never began.
A request for comment went unanswered.
Pictured, the more sensible Google Street View, the abandoned old fairground in Brighton.
John has been with Car Dealer since 2013 after spending 25 years at the newspaper as a journalist and then Deputy Deputy Editor/Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Regional and National Titles. John is an Assistant Editor of Car Dealer’s Editorial Department and social media manager.
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