Calls for public inquiry after derelict school fire

A public inquiry has been called for after a fire tore through a former independent school.

The blaze on Sunday evening at the Grade II listed Newell House in Cornhill, Sherborne, Dorset, caused the roof to collapse and needed 35 firefighters from eight stations.

Sir Christopher Coville, chairman of the Sherborne & District Society, said it has been increasingly concerned about the state and security of the building for much of the time it has been unoccupied and is calling for an investigation.

Dorset Council said that it has been "liaising closely" with the owner of the building for several years and the it is "satisfied" that it has taken all the action it is legally allowed to.

The three-storey building, which is located at the junction of the A30 and the Marston Road, has been semi-derelict for years.

Sir Christopher said the group he heads, that is part of the Dorset Campaign to Protect Rural England, has been lobbying the town and county councils to take "urgent action to safeguard the site".

Now, he has called for an independent inquiry into "the background, actions taken and lessons to be learned from this tragic loss of one of Sherborne's best loved houses."

He added: "We believe that the county leadership could and should have done more to prevent this totally predictable outcome, and we expect the proposed inquiry to hold Dorset Council vigorously to account and to make recommendations which will ensure better protection of Dorset's historic buildings, which number over 12,500."

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: "Using powers given to us under The Building Act 1984, last year we put in measures to secure the building following concerns about anti-social behaviour.

"This has included boarding up windows and doors, fencing and installing CCTV.

"We are satisfied that the council has investigated issues as they have arisen with Newell House and have taken all the necessary action we are legally allowed to when it comes to privately owned properties."

The council said that several elements of the building have been identified as being unsafe following inspections, and that a contractor has been appointed to address the concerns, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It added that it is "continuing to engage" with the owner on what actions need to be taken to make the building safe again and that it will look to recover costs associated with the emergency works.