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Residents request to move out of estate where fire safety breaches uncovered

More than 20 households have requested to move out of an estate where fire safety breaches have been uncovered.

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Picture: Getty
Picture: Getty
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Households request to move out of estate where fire safety breaches uncovered #ukhousing

Aintree Estate now has immediate evacuation policy because of fire safety breaches #ukhousing

Council will use empty flats to investigate structure of tower blocks #ukhousing

Hartopp Point and Lannoy Point are two tower blocks which are part of the Aintree Estate in west London.

The landlord, Hammersmith & Fulham Council, changed the evacuation policy for the blocks from ‘stay put’ to immediate evacuation in November last year because of gaps in the wall, ceiling and floor joints which meant the fire compartmentation of the flats had been breached.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council offered residents the chance to move out of the blocks when the evacuation procedure was changed. Residents with children or older residents could struggle to leave the building quickly in the event of a fire.

A spokesperson for the council revealed that 23 households had taken up this offer and will be eligible for a house move payment of £6,100.

A spokesperson for Hammersmith & Fulham Council said the empty flats will be used by Arup to investigate the structure of the blocks.

A 24-hour fire warden patrol has also been introduced and smoke alarms have been fitted in the blocks.

The council, under its previous leadership, was warned about the fire safety breaches in 2012 but residents said the problems were not fixed at the time.

Inside Housing recently reported that engineering firm Arup has been employed by the council to check the two tower blocks have been strengthened in line with government requirements. Following the partial collapse of the Ronan Point tower block in 1968, resulting in the death of four people, the government instructed the owners of large panel blocks to carry out strengthening work on these blocks. These checks are ongoing.

Last year Southwark Council introduced an immediate evacuation policy in four of its large panel blocks on the Ledbury Estate because of fire safety breaches including cracks large enough to fit a fist.

A Hammersmith & Fulham Council spokesperson said: “Since November 2017, we have offered to rehouse tenants at Hartopp Point and Lannoy Point. We are now working with 23 households who have asked to be rehoused. Arup will include these empty flats in their comprehensive surveys of the buildings as we do whatever we can to ensure residents remain safe.

“We’re working closely with residents and leading fire safety experts at Hartopp Point and Lannoy Point. We’ve put in extra measure to keep residents safe, including fire safety wardens, a communal smoke alarm system, and smoke alarms and heat detectors in flats. We’re currently doing detailed investigations into the compartmentation at both blocks. There is no gas supply.”

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