THE latest fire to ravage a disused pub in Dunstable town centre has begged the question: When will something be done about these eyesores?
It took 20 firefighters about an hour to control a blaze in the early hours of Sunday at the Priory pub in Chiltern Road.
The building has been empty for several years with windows boarded up and glass and debris scattered around.
Two fire crews from Dunstable, two from Toddington and a communication support unit from Leighton Buzzard responded to the 00.26 call.
They used a hose reel and two jets to extinguish multiple fires on the ground floor before ventilating the building with fans. The fire was declared “under control” at about 1.30am.
The fire service say the blaze is thought to have been started deliberately. No one was injured or evacuated from surrounding buildings. It was at least the fourth fire at the Priory since it was vacated. The site has been a regular target for vandals.
The historic Norman King in Church Street was destroyed by fire in August last year and has been a blot on the landscape ever since.
Owner Martyn Murphy has been liaising with insurers and surveyors about the future of the site, but he was unavailable for comment this week.
Central Beds Council planners gave the go-ahead last summer for family-owned business Devdas to breathe life into dilapidated pub The Winston Churchill, also in Church Street.
Spokesman Naz Miah told the Gazette at the time: “We are trying to brighten up this area of the town as much as possible. The internal work has already started.”
But six months on, Mr Miah was unavailable for comment when the Gazette tried to contact him.
Development company McCarthy & Stone announced yesterday that after being refused planning permission by the council last August, an appeal has been successful and after purchasing the Priory from its current private owner, they intend to start building retirement living accomodation.
McCarthy & Stone said that their proposals received strong local support both from residents keen to see an eyesore removed and local traders who see the improvement that retirement housing could bring to the ailing town centre.
Sharon Warboys, of town preservation group Don’t Let Dunstable Die, said: “We hope to see the three sites regenerated soon.”
On Monday, Dunstable Town Council approved plans to employ a ‘town ranger’, who will “provide a highly visible proactive and reactive cleansing and maintenance service for the public realm across the town” and also be given the power to tidy around unsightly or dangerous privately-owned property.
Town clerk David Ashlee said: “We’re keen to see issues resolved with these properties as soon as possible.”