WHAT NEXT FOR FIRE-HIT CLUB?
Council in talks over building’s future
DISCUSSIONS are ongoing over the future of a fire-hit former Hanley nightspot.
Yesterday marked a week since a blaze tore through the old Yates’s bar, and council officials say no firm decision has yet been made over the building’s future.
Police are continuing to guard the area after a body was recovered from the site at the weekend. Part of Brockley Square is taped off and fencing has been installed in front of the charred remains of the building which once played host to part of The Sentinel’s city centre base.
Around 60 firefighters had descended on the scene after the alarm was raised at 5.45am on March 12. A subsequent investigation saw a 63-year-old man, of no fixed address, and a 33-year-old woman, of Stokeon-trent, arrested on suspicion of attempted arson with intent to endanger life. The man has since been released with no further action while the woman was previously released on conditional bail while inquiries continue.
Specialist search teams and forensics were able to access the building at the end of last week where on Saturday a body was found. The individual has not yet been identified.
Previously Stoke-on-trent City Council had said officials had been supporting nearby residents and businesses affected by the cordon which had seen Trinity Street, Foundry Street and Stafford Street shut.
That cordon has now been scaled way back with just Foundry Street closed. The local authority has not yet been able to determine just what the future holds for the site as an investigation into what triggered the huge blaze is still ongoing.
A council spokesperson said: “The incident area is still being managed by Staffordshire Police. We are in ongoing discussions about what the next steps will be for the site.”