A Perth hotel where three people died in a massive fire has lost its alcohol licence.
Councillors revoked the New County Hotel licence after hearing the annual fees had not been paid for two years.
The landmark on County Place has been shut since the blaze on January 2 2023.
It claimed the lives of sisters Donna Janse Van Rensburgh, 44, and Sharon McLean, 47, from Aberdeen and Keith Russell, 38, from Edinburgh.
Donna’s pet dog also died in the fire.
Councillors on the Perth and Kinross licensing board unanimously agreed to rescind the premises’ licence this week.
They were told the business owed Perth City Council £1,000 in unpaid fees for the last two years.
The outstanding sum is for 2022 – the year before the fire – and last year.
The New County Hotel owner Rashid Hussain, 59, died in a London hospital in August 2023.
Mr Hussain owned both Edwin Hotels Ltd which owned the building and Perth Hospitality Limited which ran the hotel.
Perth Hospitality Ltd went into liquidation in August 2023 and is now in receivership.
No one from the hotel was present at Wednesday’s meeting.
Depute clerk to the licensing board Collin Elliott told councillors: “We have had no contact from the official receiver as to whether they would attend or not.”
Concerns flagged before New County Hotel fire
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says a joint investigation between itself and Police Scotland is still ongoing.
The blaze broke out just after 5am on Monday January 2 last year.
It was reported by a member of staff.
It’s thought more than 30 people were staying as guests at the hotel.
Nine appliances were sent to the scene and, at its height, more than 60 firefighters tackled the blaze.
The Scottish Ambulance Service also sent multiple resources, including a trauma team.
A major incident was declared and streets around the hotel were closed off.
It later emerged that a fire safety audit by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service had revealed concerns about the hotel just three weeks before the blaze.
These included issues with testing and maintenance, means of escape, fire doors, the fire warning and detection system, and measures for preventing the spread of fire and smoke.
Perth and Kinross Council issued three health and safety improvement notices a fortnight before the fire.
Here, the issues included the front doors not being locked at night, the safety of windows and damaged or unsafe carpets and flooring.
Independent health and safety consultants also highlighted 29 areas of concern at the hotel a month before it went on fire.
Their report covered areas including electrical wiring, the safety of gas appliances, trip hazards, extraction systems and water testing.
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