You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Rugby towers blocks deemed at risk in a fire to be torn down
Two towers in Rugby, which were feared to be at risk in the event of a fire or explosion, are set to be demolished and replaced with new homes after it was deemed too expensive to fix them.
An assessment into the future of the high-rise blocks at Biart Place found that the towers are “beyond economic repair”, and would cost £20m to fix. For an extra £3m, the blocks could be replaced with new council homes, the report found.
The decision to pull down the blocks is due to be signed off by councillors next week, when they will rubber-stamp the appointment of architects to draw up new plans for the site.
The future of the two towers has been in question since earlier this year when residents were told they had to move out of their homes after a report found the large panel buildings had been built to “a poor standard”.
The concrete in the buildings was “poor quality and suffering from carbonation” and the steelwork was corroding, the investigation found, meaning that they “may not perform as expected in the event of a fire or explosion”.
READ MORE
Since then, an evacuation policy has been put in place and the council said the blocks would maintain flame resistance in a fire.
Currently 91 of the 124 flats at Biart Place are vacant and the council wants the blocks to be completely empty before March next year.
Tenants have been offered up to £10,000 in compensation, and those who decided to remain as council tenants have been promised they will be charged the same rent for the new homes as their existing flats.
The blocks are ‘large panel’ buildings, a construction method that became controversial following the Ronan Point disaster in 1968.
There has been a renewed scrutiny on remaining large panel blocks following the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Neighbouring blocks at Rounds Gardens have been found to be in better condition and will not be demolished, but the council is expected to allocate further funding for structural surveys of the buildings to carry out repairs.
They are also likely to sign off spending to install extra fire alarms in the block.
Michael Stokes, leader of Rugby Borough Council, said the total cost of repairing and replacing homes could be as much as £60m, and he would be approaching the government for support.
He said: “The multi-storey blocks at Rounds Gardens and at Biart Place have stood safely since they were built around 50 years ago, but it is disappointing to find that the build quality has been poor.
“While we never wanted to be in the position of undertaking such extensive strengthening or replacement work, we now have an opportunity to use the Biart Place site to provide council housing that better meets the needs of current and future tenants.”
