Case against defendants thrown out after two days of trial for retirement village fire

In an update on Wednesday following two days of trial at Chester Crown Court, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) announced the case has been withdrawn.

The fire service also charged Avantage (Cheshire), a subsidiary of Your Housing Group, which procured the design and build process and operated the scheme. Morgan Sindall Property Services was contracted to provide repairs and maintenance.

The other three organisations charged were WSP UK, a consultancy that provided a fire strategy for the building; Total Fire Group (TFG), which risk assessed Beechmere in 2017 and 2018; and Mac Roofing and Contracting, which carried out roofing works in the days immediately before the blaze.

In October 2024, six charges against roofing contractor Mac Roofing were dropped. Two charges against WSP UK were dropped in February 2025.

The four remaining defendants, all of which pleaded not guilty, faced a total of 14 charges between them.

Alex Waller, chief fire officer and chief executive, said: “Following extensive legal submissions heard over the first two days of the trial, unfortunately it became clear this morning [Wednesday 7 May 2025] that there would be no realistic prospect of securing convictions.

“After carefully considering legal advice, regrettably we have taken the very difficult decision to withdraw our prosecution case against all four defendants.

“We understand that former residents of Beechmere and their families will be disappointed with this outcome, which is not the one we have been working hard to achieve.”

Your Housing Group, which was the ‘responsible person’ for fire safety at the development, had been facing charges under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005.

Your Housing Group said: “We fully recognise the impact of the devastating fire at the Beechmere retirement living scheme in 2019, which was part of the Avantage PFI, and our focus ever since has been supporting residents and colleagues who were affected.

“We have always maintained that we were not guilty of the charges which were brought against us and welcome the decision by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service to withdraw its prosecution of all charges against Your Housing Limited and Avantage, which led the court to record a not guilty verdict on all charges.

“We will continue with our plans to deliver great homes and services to the people living across our communities.”

In October 2024, the landlord posted a loss of £13.4m due to the financial impact of a fire.

Total Fire Group said: "The prosecution offered no evidence and not guilty verdicts were returned by the court.

"TFG has always maintained that it acted professionally and properly and always in compliance with the Fire Safety Order. By dropping the case, CFRS and the court have recognised this. We remain mindful of the impact that this fire had on the residents of Beechmere.

"The company that constructed the building, which had numerous latent defects, was in liquidation and could not be prosecuted.

"It was disappointing that it took almost 6 years for CFRS to drop this case, given the time, cost and unnecessary stress/damage this has caused to TFG and all concerned. We are grateful to the fantastic legal team and our staff who have supported us through this very difficult time."

Beechmere was a large retirement village that was built using a timber-frame structure, which was almost completely destroyed in the fire. 

More than 150 residents lost their homes and possessions. While none were injured, the fire service said the impact on their lives “has been significant”.

The development was a purpose-built housing scheme for people over 55, consisting of a block of 132 self-contained apartments. All the homes were designed for independent living with support and varying levels of care if required.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has insisted that since its investigation into the fire at Beechmere, there have been significant fire safety improvements at four other similar premises across Cheshire.