One of the owners of a derelict site which neighbours say is dangerous was previously fined over the death of a man at another of his building sites.
John Blankson, 69, owns the former car showroom site in Lewes Road jointly with Emmanuel Blankson, 66, and Mark Buckle, 63.
This month, Brighton and Hove Council said it was asking the owners to properly secure the site after three fires there and reports of a teenager falling through a roof of one of the empty buildings.
It also asked people to report anyone playing or loitering at the site to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) using this link.
In 2010, Blankson was fined £15,000 after a young man got onto a building site he owned in Buckingham Road, Seven Dials, fell over an unprotected edge into a basement courtyard and died.
Edward Dean, 24, had got onto the site on his way back from a night out in the early hours of 30 June, 2008. The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted Blankson, his company PIB (UK) and fellow director Steven Moore.
The owners of Kick Martial Arts next to the Lewes Road site said this month that people are regularly accessing that site.
Tiffany Williams, who owns Kicks with Chris Kent, said: “We are regularly aware of people wandering in and out of the back exit.
“A couple of weeks ago I told two young teenage boys who were around the back of the site to get out, and waited until they’d left.
“They were messing around and one had fallen through the roof so his friend was waiting for him to climb out.
“Both were ok but I told them how unsafe it was, and to not go in there again.”
The HSE said it had not received any reports about the site to date.
Mr Blankson was given planning permission to build nine flats there in 2020 – but work never started and the permission expired in September 2023.
Southdown Housing Association was given provisional approval to build a block of supported accommodation on the site – but negotiations over a financial contribution were never completed after building costs soared following the invasion of Ukraine, and the plans were dropped.
The three owners of the site are also co-directors of Three Bees Properties Ltd. Companies House records say Blankson owns more than 50% but less than 75% of the company – no other owners are listed.
Mr Blankson and Mr Buckle did not respond to requests for comment.
Bad, unnecessary journalism.
Compulsory purchase order is needed here. If your going to sit on land like this and just let it rot everything around it, you should not have the right to own said land. Zero duty of care it’s just some old blokes speculating. Why not sell it and let the next generation get on with it…