A company director has been prosecuted after pleading guilty to five breaches of fire safety regulations at a converted high-rise residential building in Worthing

As reported by West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS), Anthony Coates was the director of two companies involved in the purchase and renovation of Columbia House, where the former office building was being converted into a seven-storey block of flats.

The court heard that residents had been allowed to occupy the renovated premises before the corridor and stair escape routes were signed off as fire safety compliant. A Fire Safety Inspecting Officer who had been working on building regulation consultation for the office-to-residential high-rise made the discovery after noticing multiple vehicles in the residents’ car park.

“Upon investigation, it became apparent that residents had wrongly been allowed to move into the properties.”

WSFRS said that the negligence by Coates had endangered 30 residents, with the breaches “undermin[ing] the building’s fire safety strategy”.

“If a fire were to occur, anyone living or visiting the flats was placed at an increased risk of potential death or serious injury,” the service said.

At a hearing in January 2025, Coates pleaded guilty to five charges under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (2005). On 14 March 2025, at Lewes Crown Court, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was also fined £1,000 and ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid community work.

Commenting on the successful prosecution, Area Manager Dave Bray, Head of Fire Safety for WSFRS, said: “We are extremely pleased with the outcome of this case and believe it serves as a strong reminder to all those responsible for the design, construction, occupation, and management of premises in West Sussex, to which the Fire Safety Order applies, that the duties placed upon them by the Fire Safety Order are taken seriously.

“Duty holders are reminded that the Fire Safety Order is in place to protect life in the event of a fire. As such, the highest sanctions possible will be sought where these failings endanger the lives of residents and visitors to West Sussex.”

Source: Fire Protection Association (FPA)

Comment: "No comment."