Resident’s campaign for fire safety improvement in local flats

A Bowerhill resident has campaigned for fire safety measures to be carried out in the block of flats where she lives, saying that it has taken over a year from when the problem was first highlighted, for the fire safety measures to be finally implemented.

The resident, who does not wish to be identified, lives in a block of flats on the Pathfinder Place development, which was built by Taylor Wimpey and is managed by the housing association, Curo.

She says that an inspection was carried out last year and the findings revealed that the flat does not have an adequate cavity barrier, which means in the event of a fire, it would burn more quickly than normal.

The resident, who has a baby and is concerned for their safety, says she has lobbied the housing association, Curo, for the work to be carried out. She has also contacted local MP, Michelle Donelan, and local councillor, Nick Holder, to help her campaign.

In a letter to the MP she said, “I have been going back and forth with my housing association for a year now. I have been passed back and forth to different staff and told different stories each time. Basically, if a fire happens, the building will burn quicker than it should be, posing a very big risk to residents. My neighbour has had the fire brigade out before. This is very concerning and this has not been handled correctly. What can I do? I do not feel safe living here with my baby.”

Cllr Nick Holder held a meeting with Taylor Wimpey, Curo and construction consultancy firm Taylor Lewis, where it was confirmed the remedial works would begin, to rectify the issue.

A spokesperson for Curo said, “Curo owns a number of homes in a block of flats [in Pathfinder Place] These were built by Taylor Wimpey and were provided to Curo with building control compliance in place.

“Following a precautionary inspection this year to double-check that the cavity barriers were correctly installed by the developer, we identified that some repair work was needed by Taylor Wimpey.

“Taylor Wimpey agreed to make the necessary repairs to ensure that the building meets the latest fire safety building regulations. They had committed to starting this work on 12th  July, however we understand they have delayed this. We have arranged on completion for a specialist surveyor to check that all the work has been done properly.

“We appreciate that residents may be worried about their safety and we have written to all our customers in this building explaining what action we have taken to keep them safe.”

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said, “We can confirm that we are carrying out remedial work to the cavity barriers in two properties at our Pathfinder Place development. We carry out regular checks on all of our homes at different points throughout the construction process and regret that this issue was not identified earlier.

“The health and safety of our residents is our first priority. We apologise to the impacted residents and can confirm that the remedial work is expected to be completed next week.”