A property developer and company director have been sentenced over serious fire safety breaches at a seafront apartment block in East Suffolk
Relating to Cliff House in Felixstowe, a former hotel that was converted into luxury residential apartments in 2017, Dragon Wood Homes Ltd and its director, Mr Paul Whyman, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a fire enforcement notice issued by Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), as reported by Suffolk County Council.
During an inspection in 2018, officers from SFRS identified multiple “significant fire safety failures, which were supported by two independent expert reports”. This included inadequate fire compartmentation, which the service said, “posed a risk of rapid fire spread throughout the building”.
The council stated: “Despite repeated opportunities to rectify the issues, the developer failed to undertake the necessary work. Legal action was taken by SFRS against both the company and Mr Whyman.”
During a hearing on 5 February 2025, both Mr Whyman and his company pleaded guilty to the charges, and sentencing took place at Ipswich Crown Court on 25 July 2025.
His Honour Judge David Pugh said that it was “not acceptable” that both Mr Whyman and his company had ignored the professional advice they were given and had failed to comply with the terms of the enforcement notice.
Dragon Wood Homes Ltd was fined £40,000, while both Mr Whyman and the company were ordered to pay £15,000 each in legal costs within 12 months. Mr Whyman was also given a 12-month community order, requiring him to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.
Speaking about the successful prosecution, Councillor Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Public Protection, said:
“This outcome sends a clear message: we will not tolerate developers or property owners who ignore their legal responsibilities and put people’s lives at risk.
“Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has acted with patience and professionalism throughout this lengthy process, always with the safety of residents at the heart of their actions. Everyone deserves to live in a safe home. While we are pleased that justice has been served, it is deeply regrettable that it took this level of enforcement to reach a resolution.”