They want answers on what the future holds
12:48, 08 Jul 2026
Protesters setting off from Barton House on a march to City Hall(Image: Bristol Live/ Paul Gillis)
People living in Bristol’s oldest tower block have called for clearer decisions to be made about the long-term future of the building, after an independent report into the circumstances around the mass evacuation back in 2023.
Scores of current and former of Barton House attended a passionate public meeting in Barton Hill on Tuesday evening, where council chiefs presented the findings of a report commissioned by the incoming Green-led administration.
That report found that the significance of the deterioration of the 1950s tower block was missed in the years before the 2023 evacuation, and although the decision to evacuate was the right one at the time, the Labour-run council did not have the capacity or a good enough plan in place to deal with the evacuation once it had been decided.
The report outlined how and why residents’ trust in the council had collapsed, and residents now – more than two and a half years on – said they are still mistrustful of Bristol City Council.
Residents told Bristol Live that, after the initial presentation of the report, and discussion about it, the residents soon turned the questioning to the long-term future of the tower block itself – something which wasn’t covered by the remit of the independent review.
The block was opened in June 1958 and, as the first council tower block to be built in Bristol, was a wonder of the city, with thousands of people queuing for hours every day for a week just to see the first two ‘exhibition flats’.
The tower block was evacuated in stages in May 1970 after similar structural concerns, and many residents evacuated in 2023 say the council should now bite the bullet and plan soon for its eventual demolition.
“Emotions ran high as council and residents spoke from different perspectives and it was getting lost in translation unfortunately,” said Shaban Ali, a resident of Barton House who was banned from going into City Hall while he was still evacuated from his home, after protesting about the situation back in the winter of 2023-24.
“The review is a high level operational document that meant very little to residents current concerns and circumstances, except to confirm what they have been saying for many years now,” he added.
“All they wanted to hear is what is next for them and their family’s future in Barton House. Those answers weren’t forthcoming except for ‘we need to discuss this internally and come back in 12 months’,” he added.
Shaban Ali joins other residents of Bristol’s tower blocks as they gather for a vigil and march at Twinnell House to mark two months since the fatal fire(Image: Paul Gillis/Bristol Live)
“Many residents want closure and that, for many, means moving out or even knocking down the building, due to trauma they suffered.
“The trust is well and truly eroded. The council could bring in the best engineers to confirm the building is safe but it will fall on deaf ears,” he added.
Bristol City Council has no plans to demolish Barton House – the council has spent a small fortune repairing it enough to allow the residents back in, it’s got a new maintenance programme, and the council has plans to install new cladding on the building as part of a wider scheme to patch up and modernise other ageing council tower blocks in the area.
Demolishing it and building new modern flats for everyone who lives there will be a huge cost to council taxpayers, expenditure which won’t help the 20,000 people on the housing waiting list, or the 1,500 families in temporary accommodation.
Residents of Barton House marched on City Hall in Bristol. February 2024.(Image: Paul Gillis/Bristol Live)
Estimates nationally put the cost of demolishing a tower block into the millions, but it is being done in other cities.
Last summer, council chiefs in Brighton were told the cost to repair and strengthen eight 1960s tower blocks would be at least £115 million, and would only give them another 20 years of life.
The blocks in Brighton were built of the same panel method as Barton House and many other tower blocks in Bristol, but in Bristol, council chiefs are embarking on a programme to strengthen and lengthen the life of the buildings.
In Brighton, a decision was taken to demolish the blocks after a bid to the Government to fund the repair work was turned down. Residents there are being moved out in phases and rehoused, with demolition planned for around five years’ time, and the cost to the council is initially put at just £7.5 million, with half a million a year costs as the project continues.