Developers fined thousands after work on historic Blackpool building

At Blackpool Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday, August 31), Manchester firm Daneets Developments Ltd was fined £8,000 after it was found to have put workers at risk during building works in Bond Street, South Shore.

The Health and Safety Executive brought the case before the court after it found safety measures at the site – the former Duple Social Club – were ‘very poor’ and ‘not fit for purpose’.

The company admitted breaching safety procedures during work on the 112-year-old building which it was converting into flats.

One of the resort’s oldest listed buildings, it was listed for its heritage value due to its Jacobean style stone framework.

The property, built in 1910, served as a public meeting hall and retains many of the original features.

From 1966, it was home to the Duple Social Club with a bar, bingo and entertainment for members and guests before shutting down in 2019.

Following its closure, an application to convert the bulk of the building into seven flats was approved in 2018 and work got underway in late 2020.

Today, District Judge Jane Goodwin sitting at Blackpool Magistrates Court, heard how the safety executive regarded Daneets as having ‘high culpability’ in regards to safety. It described this as “foresight of or wilful blindness to risk”.

It said scaffolding had been erected without proper safety measures and inspectors found a build up of combustible material on site.

There was no properly qualified site boss and workers were not told about welfare facilities, claimed the HSE, who also raised concerns over asbestos and working from height.

Safety inspectors made two visits to the site and were disappointed to find ongoing problems on their second visit.

At court, the judge was told the site was ‘not fit for purpose’. The safety executive told the court that Daneets director Danny Singh had tried to deal with matters, but described him as being ‘out of his depth’.

The court was also told that matters were made worse by the building project taking place during COVID lockdowns and restrictions.

Judge Goodwin said: “I accept there was high culpability and that health and safety is a serious responsibility.”

As well as the £8,000 fine, the company – which had a turnover of £97,000 in its last accounts – was ordered to pay £2,744 costs.