The council says it recognises residents’ concerns
Charleton House in St Judes(Image: Copyright Unknown)
A multi-million-pound safety investment has been approved for four Bristol council housing blocks in St Jude’s after surveys revealed a number of critical building elements were outdated and in need of repair.
Extensive inspections were carried out on Charleton House, Haviland House, Langton House and John Cozens House, all of which are managed by the city council. While the surveyors confirmed the buildings are safe for current occupancy, they also recommended significant upgrades to bring them up to modern fire and structural safety standards.
Many of the immediate safety concerns identified have already been addressed. However, a raft of medium- and long-term improvements will now be delivered over the next two years. As a result, parts of the previously planned refurbishment programme have been dropped in order to focus resources on safety priorities.
Barry Parsons, chair of the homes and housing delivery committee, said: “Over many months our contractors have been surveying the blocks in St Jude’s to get a good overview of their condition. This work has been necessary to fully understand the makeup of the buildings before work began on the planned programme of major refurbishment. Now we have the surveyors’ recommendations we can be confident in the safety of residents’ homes and be clear about what we need to do to ensure the flats remain safe for households to live in.
“Whilst I hope that the assurance we can give about the safety of the buildings will provide residents with some comfort, I recognise that being told the blocks need work to maintain safety may still cause some concern. We have provided residents with as much information as possible in multiple languages to provide a detailed picture and help all households understand what will be happening at their block.
“Opportunities for residents to meet with representatives from the council will also be arranged to hear any of those concerns and offer any advice and guidance we can. Throughout this period of undertaking additional safety works, we will keep an open line of communication with residents and their representatives to hear their thoughts and respond in kind.”
Council officials say they have been liaising closely with Avon Fire and Rescue Service throughout the process. The fire service has confirmed it supports the council’s decisions and safety measures and will continue to be consulted during all phases of the next stage of works.
Structural investigations also looked at elements such as the buildings’ concrete frames, wall cladding, balconies and handrails. The findings confirmed the structures were generally sound, although issues were flagged in relation to the balustrades. These will now undergo further inspections and are likely to require repair.
Tyndall House, a fifth block included in the broader St Jude’s refurbishment scheme, was found not to require the same safety investigations, having been built differently. However, its refurbishment works have also been paused to ensure focus remains on upgrading the safety of the four affected buildings.