The public’s attention has once again turned to the growing number of suspected arson attacks on hotels in Sandown – with no fewer than 10 serious incidents reported by Island Echo over the past 12 years. It’s Saturday morning’s Parkbury Hotel blaze that has reignited discussions on the state of Sandown and how many fires have been fought in the town in recent years. Some sites have been redeveloped but others have been left derelict – an eyesore for the predominantly tourist town. Island Echo now takes a look back on the notable incidents involving suspected or possible arson. It’s understood that no one has ever been successfully prosecuted for any of the fires listed…
The Savoy – Avenue Road
In December 2011 (just before Island Echo began publishing) a major fire ripped through the once-grand Savoy, which saw over 50 firefighters from the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service tackling the blaze throughout the night. It was one of the first incidents where COBRA was used by local fire crews. Police at the time said that arson could not be ruled out completely, but there was no evidence of foul play. The building stood in a charred and dangerous state until it was demolished in 2016. The site has remained a wasteland since. 
Royal Cliff Hotel – Beachfield Road
It was back in October 2014 that the Royal Cliff in Sandown was destroyed by fire, with Police treating the matter as arson. In total around 25 firefighters tackled the blaze overnight, with nothing more than a shell left by morning. The site has since been redeveloped into luxury apartments. 
St Mortiz and Tarvic2 – Culver Parade
It was in September 2018 that these 2 hotels were severely damaged by fire. The matter was investigated as arson, which led to a Portsmouth woman in her 60s being charged. However, the case against her was later dropped due to a lack of evidence that she had discarded a cigarette. Both hotels have been left untouched since the fire and remain a blight on the seafront landscape. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoE11RfTZwE&t=1s
Esplanade Hotel – Esplanade
A break-in back in July 2020 – during the height of the COVID pandemic – led to a fire being started at The Esplanade. 2 sets of fire were located within the building by responding firefighters, but the incident was quickly contained. The hotel now has planning permission to be converted into apartments.
The Ocean Hotel – Esplanade
A devastating fire ripped through The Ocean in May 2021, prompting an arson investigation. The blaze occurred just a month after the property had been sold. The former hotel remains an eyesore and is subject to ongoing legal disputes between the owners and the local authority. 
There have been a number of small fires associated with the building since, such as in June 2023 and August 2023, mainly connected with squatters and children breaking in.
Grand Hotel – Culver Parade
The Grand has been subject to at least 2 fires in recent years, in late 2021 and a more significant incident in January 2022. Each time the fire has been contained to the rear of the Art Deco building, which is currently undergoing refurbishment. 
Parkbury – Broadway
In July 2022, fire crews rushed to the Parkbury when smoke was seen issuing from the roof space of the derelict hotel. This prompted a joint investigation to be launched between the fire service and Police. Firefighters also attended a shed fire in the grounds of the hotel in April last year. It was just last week that the Parkbury, off the Broadway, was badly damaged by an early hours blaze. Bomb Disposal experts were then called out when an aerosol can was found rigged with a firelighter. This is the latest suspicious fire to hit Sandown – but will it be the last…? 
Other fires in Sandown…
The former Stonehaven assisted living facility was targeted in May 2021 – just a week after the Ocean Hotel blaze – with Police treating the incident as arson. In September 2021, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service attended a fire at Channel View Hotel on Royal Street. This was not deemed to be connected to any arson, with the fire starting in the hotel’s laundry room. In April 2023, 59-year-old Andrew Turner was sentenced to 5 years in prison for arson after setting fire to his own Beachfield Road home in a bid to get revenge on his partner.
Sandown is an embarrassment, the High Street and Seafront is full
of abandoned derelict hotels.
Yet Sandown charges people 50p to use public toilets.
Sandown is a toilet due to the counci, letting Sandown fall into
Disrepair!
They need to show this on the TV show on TV
The revertment a bloody discrace broken shit repairs toliet block by hinks broken never to be opened again.and a filthy dump.
All such fires are likely to have been deliberate, the main Question is are they started by low life criminal arsonists for the buzz, or are they started by the owners so as to easily claim insurance or have the building then demolished without a public outcry, then sell the plot for lucrative building land, OR do the owners pay the local low life to torch them then giving them a foolproof alibi as they are miles away when it happens.
Empty buildings should have ten times the cost of insuring than used buildings otherwise we all pay for these ‘accidents’
People are still gaining access to the Ocean Hotel, it is not secure.
Good burn it to the ground ..
More like developers buy up property’s and a fire helps to get the job done so the can build apartments over looking the sea and make loads of money.
A big derelict hotel in Sidmouth burned to the ground after several attempts. Council gave up in the end and now the town has very posh apartments instead. Anything that is protected, derelict and by the sea tends to have fire’s.
You forgot the Gaiety Arcade in Ventnor, not arson apparently despite people being seen going in and out during the day before the fire, and a small black car caught on CCTV driving away at speed just before the fire took hold. But still not arson at all. Like that fire, all the others will be covered up with the owners of the site trying to bribe any eyewitnesses.
Only way to get planning permission…eyesore blackmail.
Just insurance claims or trying to get planning permission to knock down and build loads of houses
I am sure it is easier to get planning permission to build huge blocks of flats on top of hotels if the hotels have been burned down and can no longer be viably restored as hotels – then again with Sandiwn under constant ‘regeneration’ from the public sector bureaucrats turning it into a net zero compliant dead zone, I doubt anyone would want to holiday there anyway, despite having one of the greatest beaches on the island (with deliberately restricted parking to ban those cars of course as all tourists should be on buses or forced to walk like in all good communist countries)
No it’s just full of old hotels that the owners want to convert into flats or houses and setting fire to them get them planning permission and insurance money to get the build underway
The thing is with the parkbury hotel we made an offer for it in 2021 it was rejected because Carelauren Group sold off rooms in the hotel so when our offer was submitted it had to be accepted by multiple people not one company decision so no matter what was offered unless it was millions would it go through
“Come home to a real fire”
Buy a property in Sandown…
Well yes but its just a turdtown a total dump with inbread feral scum lowlifes druggies, old dirty worn out filthy ..just a big ol turdtown.
The Savoy was definitely arson by the owners. They filled the hotel full of cardboard over several days and then it was set fire to in “several places” according to the fire service report. The doors were all locked and the alarm turned off as well. Plenty of evidence to have charged the owner of the hotel but not surprisingly nothing was done.
What a load of bollocks you are talking. Derelict buildings cannot be insured. Savoy had no alarm, and only the front entrance was being used as storage. Its ‘owner’ was a limited company, not a person – as with all these buildings; it’s called having limited liability so no loss can be suffered directly. Know-it-alls!
Odd handshaking businessmen to include but not exhaustive are certain developers who are oft tickled pink at such close links to Council planners, certain Estate agents, Solicitors, and certain high ranking Police officers.
So of course although it is widely known, it is ‘proving it’ that is difficult to impossible with such groups with vested interests.
Hence it has and will go on and on.
A great way for them to remove the old Victorian sometimes listed buildings, but allowing them to remain a target for druggies vandals and continuing fires and anti social behaviour, to then get the public to WANT them pulled down, and flats built which otherwise they likely would NOT
Is there any sort of connection between the people buying these old run down properties? Sandown used to thrive in bygone years. Now its a cesspit. Crime is rife, drugs and violent crime is rife, vandalism is rife. The high street looks like a scene from a horror movie and the sea is poisoned with sewage. I wonder why anyone would even consider buying a property anywhere near it. The Council has contributed to its demise. There is very little community spirit and it’s not that safe to walk around at night. Hardly surprising that buildings are burnt down, but come on, there is obviously something underhand about these fires. The police need to work out what is glaringly obvious to most of us.
No it’s a Brown envelope hot spot,where those who know they can get away with it and do,hand them out freely to “wannabe fire starters and Council planning”!.
Sandown will never be a proper seaside resort until it gets enough car parking
Arsonist Isle
Businesses should be forced to use their insurance money to rebuild the hotels
they should not be allowed to build flats.
I worked at Sandown Airfield for some years and the joke during the winter or early in the New Year was always of the hotel burning season being upon us. And sure enough another hotel would go up that week. The implication was that insurance scams were at the core of it.