NEWS Raft of building closures amid fire safety concerns
A STUDENT block has been emptied of residents after fire safety issues emerged, while an award winning residential building and a high rise block are set to or could yet be closed for the same reasons.
Student block issues known
The Kingfisher Court flats in Kirklees were closed in August, and had been served with an enforcement notice by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) ten months ago. Huddersfield Examiner reported on the closure after WYFRS served a prohibition order, and noted that ‘just months after’ the block opened last year, WYFRS served an enforcement notice. That had required the responsible person for the block to ‘take fire precautions to ensure employees’ safety’, and to take such precautions for relevant persons – the students – ‘as may reasonably be required in the circumstances’ to ensure their safety. Students were given just three
hours to leave, some of whom were provided with temporary accommodation by Huddersfield University Student Union and by Kirklees Council. After the company which built the block, Mederco, collapsed owing £152m in unpaid loans, the building was set to stay closed until made safe. WYFRS served the prohibition
notice after a compartmentation survey, and a WYFRS spokesperson pointed out that the notice referred only to compartmentation, and not cladding. Shabir Pandor, council leader, stated that the council does not own the building and did not sign it off for occupation as ‘building control was carried out by a private contractor’.
He commented: ‘Developers do
not have to go through the council for building control and in this case they chose to use a private company, meaning we did not sign off this development. Where issues are raised after building control has been signed off, as in this case, we will continue to work in partnership
with the developers and other parties to help ensure that buildings are fit for purpose and meet the standards. ‘Through the Local Government Association, and the national Government, I will be bringing up the issue of the responsibilities of the private sector in this area. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service found that this building puts people at risk so we fully support them in serving this notice. We’ve seen the horrific consequences of when issues like this go unresolved and this is something we cannot allow to happen in Kirklees.’ Councillor Bill Armer called for
a review of building regulations, having asked for assurances about the building’s safety at a planning meeting three years ago, and added that safety issues have the potential to ‘fall through the cracks’ between planning permission being granted and building control signing off a property. He said: ‘It’s a national matter
rather than a Kirklees matter, to be fair. Planning looks at the aesthetics of materials. Building regulations look at their utility. It’s a bit crazy having that division. There is no Building Regulations Committee on Kirklees Council because it’s a technical thing. So building regulations have nothing to do with councillors. They are a law unto themselves. There are questions to be answered over this. It needs looking at.’
14 OCTOBER 2019
www.frmjournal.com
Hackney block to be emptied
Around 100 residents of Bridport House in Hackney have been ‘forced out of their homes’ for ‘up to three years’ due to the discovery of ‘potentially combustible insulation’. BBC News reported on the relocation of residents within the next 12 months due to this discovery and ‘serious’ structural errors. Hackney Council confirmed that
it will take legal action against the developers Willmott Partnership Homes. Since the building was opened, it has ‘suffered a litany of problems’ including falling roof tiles, crumbling bricks and flooding, but further investigations have revealed missing fire barriers and combustible insulation. The insulation ‘cannot be
tested’, while other issues identified include ‘flawed’ brickwork, balconies and windows. Hackney Council has claimed that London Fire Brigade (LFB) had ‘concluded the building remained safe’ for residents, but LFB denied this was the case. In total, 41 families will be offered ‘another temporary or permanent home’ in Hackney while the work is being undertaken, but could be displaced ‘for up to three years’. They will be offered a one off home loss payment of £6,300, alongside ‘other financial incentives’. The building had won design and engineering awards
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