Teams from Nottinghamshire County Council will tonight be knocking on the doors of residents in Arnold to discuss how they plan to respond to yesterday’s fire at a disused office block in the town.
Over 30 firefighters were called to the blaze on Rolleston Drive, and have since brought the fire under control.
Now Nottinghamshire County Council staff will be visiting local people to explain how they plan to respond to the incident and to also hear concerns from residents.
The leader of the Council, Cllr Kay Cutts, will also be attending.
The site, which was previously used by the Nottinghamshire County Council’s Building Direct, County Supplies, welfare rights and fleet management teams, has been vacant since March 2013.
The Council did sell the land, but the buyer pulled out in July 2016.
Security at the site included fencing around the site and boarding on buildings’ doors and windows, and the demolition of its buildings was planned for October but will be brought forward in response to the fire.
Motion-sensing CCTV had been introduced at various locations around the site in the last week as an extra deterrent for potential trespassers, which was designed to alert a security service if activated.
24-hour on site security staff is being introduced and along with higher security fencing prior to the site being cleared.
A police investigation is underway into the cause of the fire and the Council is assessing any further risks following the incident.
Councillor Kay Cutts, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We apologise for this incident and we are doing all we can to demolish the remaining buildings as soon as possible and introduce extra security measures to help prevent further incidents.
“We understand local people will be concerned about this incident and further risks so our staff and myself are meeting face-to-face with nearby residents to outline our immediate plans and discuss their concerns.”
Residents with any concerns about the fire can call Nottinghamshire County Council on 0300 500 80 80.
