They arrived in pairs, mostly — a fire inspector and a building assessor, clipboards in hand, followed at a respectful distance by a revenue officer carrying a leather satchel of property records. By nine o’clock on Friday morning, six teams were working their way along the waterfront between Greystone Wharf and the old Harrowgate Pier, knocking on the doors of warehouses, workshops, and commercial buildings that have stood vacant for months or, in several cases, years.

The comprehensive Docklands safety audit, authorised by an 8-3 City Council vote on Wednesday, has begun.

“This is methodical work,” said Fire Marshal Edwin Hale, who is coordinating the audit alongside the Metropolitan Constabulary and the Municipal Revenue Office. “We are not conducting raids. We are reviewing fire safety certifications, structural integrity, insurance documentation, and tax compliance for every vacant commercial property in the waterfront district. It will take time, and it will be thorough.”

The audit covers an estimated seventy-two vacant commercial properties across the Docklands — a number that surprised even Councilwoman Ida Pryce, who proposed the review in the wake of the Greystone Wharf fire. “I knew we had a problem,” Pryce told The Bobington Times on Friday. “I did not know it was quite so large.”

Early Findings

By Friday afternoon, audit teams had completed preliminary assessments of fourteen properties. Fire Marshal Hale declined to discuss specifics, citing the ongoing nature of the review, but sources within the inspection teams described a pattern of neglect that extends well beyond the Ashcroft Property Group.

At least three properties visited on Friday had lapsed fire safety certificates — documents that should be renewed annually and that, when current, confirm the presence of functioning fire suppression equipment, clear egress routes, and basic structural soundness. Two others lacked any documentation whatsoever. One property on Chandler’s Row, a former sail loft owned by an estate trust, had its ground-floor entrance boarded shut but its rear loading door hanging open, accessible to anyone walking along the quayside.

“The Greystone fire exposed a specific set of questions about a specific property,” said one inspector, who asked not to be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly. “But the audit is revealing that the underlying conditions are much more widespread.”

The Tax Demand

Separately, the Municipal Revenue Office confirmed on Friday that it had issued a formal demand to Ashcroft Property Group for 2,434,600 florins in outstanding vacant building levy, covering the period from January 2024 to February 2026. The levy, introduced by the Council in 2021 to discourage property speculation in the Docklands, applies to commercial buildings that have been unoccupied for more than twelve consecutive months.

The demand carries a fourteen-day payment deadline. Failure to comply will result in the matter being referred to the Municipal Court, where penalties of up to twenty per cent of the outstanding amount may be imposed.

Edmond Crayle, solicitor for Ashcroft Property Group, said in a written statement that his client “disputes the calculation of the levy and the classification of certain properties as vacant” and that the company would “respond to the Revenue Office within the statutory period.” He declined to elaborate.

The 2.4-million-florin figure has been a matter of public record since the emergency council session on Wednesday, when it was cited by Deputy Treasurer Annabel Whitford. But the formal issuance of a demand with a fixed deadline transforms it from an administrative matter into a legal one — and adds another front to Gerald Ashcroft’s increasingly complex difficulties.

Ashcroft’s Position

Ashcroft himself has not been seen publicly since leaving the Metropolitan Constabulary headquarters via a side exit on Thursday afternoon, following four hours and fifteen minutes of questioning. His solicitor, Crayle, has maintained that Ashcroft “answered fully and cooperatively” and remains “confident that the investigation will conclude without charges.”

Senior Inspector Callum Frye, who conducted Thursday’s interview, has made no public comment on whether charges are forthcoming. The investigation continues to expand: the two former Ashcroft employees who came forward on Thursday — a former site manager and a former maintenance contractor — are understood to have provided statements to investigators on Friday.

Seldon Welcomes Audit

Patrick Seldon, foreman of the Docklands Workers’ Association, visited several of the audit sites on Friday in what he described as an informal capacity. “We work in these buildings and around these buildings every day,” he said. “We’ve known for years which ones are firetraps. It’s long overdue that someone with a clipboard and a legal mandate is finally looking.”

Seldon confirmed that the Association has not yet received a response from the Council to its request for a formal meeting on workforce protections for the planned tramway expansion. “We are patient,” he said. “But patience has limits, and the commission meets Monday.”

The audit is expected to take three to four weeks to complete. Fire Marshal Hale said a preliminary report would be presented to the Council by mid-March.