£4.7m flat fire safety works approved in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent City Council will use Homes England funding to improve fire safety at seven high-rise tower blocks
Council leaders have agreed to use £4.7 million of grant funding to improve fire safety at seven high-rise blocks of flats. Stoke-on-Trent City Council will spend the money from Homes England on works at tower blocks which have been assessed as having a ‘medium-intolerable’ risk linked to external wall finishing.
The council successfully bid for the pre-tender support grant from Home England’s cladding safety scheme. Works at the seven blocks will include evaluating whether to install full sprinkler systems or remove polycarbonate stairwell covering.
Once these options have been assessed and costed, council chiefs will apply to Homes England for the full funding. The seven blocks are;
Pedley Court and Robinson Court in Blurton
Arthur Cotton Court and Port Vale Court in Burslem
Brookfield Court, Boundary Court and Forest Court in Hanley.
While the blocks are being reviewed in terms of their sustainability, the council said it is committed to carrying out fire safety improvements ‘regardless of any future long-term plans for the buildings’.
The council had previously allocated £4.2 million of capital funding over the next three years to install sprinklers at the seven blocks. If the full Homes England funding bid is successful, the council will be able to carry out the works more quickly, while the previous capital allocation could be spent on other projects.
Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing, said: “This investment will help drive forward the safety improvements we are carrying out in our high-rise blocks – providing real peace of mind for people.
“Residents will not pay for any of this work. No leaseholder will be charged, and no recovery costs will be added. And at every stage of this process we will keep residents informed, answer their questions and provide clear timelines.”
Cabinet members approved the proposals for spending the Homes England grant at their meeting on Tuesday. They said the works at the seven tower blocks would be part of a wider programme of improvements to council housing across the city.
Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “What we’re proposing is to keep people safe, and it’s in the context of of a major uplift in standards across all our council housing. Three years ago we brought forward a report for record investment in council houses and improving the standard of life in those houses. All we want for everyone is a safe roof over their heads.”
The council has been working on a phased programme to install sprinklers at all 16 of its high-rises since 2019.