Fire risk at trendy lane
A FIRE report showed a ‘substantial’ risk of injury or fatality in Ashton Lane.
The study, carried out on behalf of residents, showed a “significant likelihood of fire’ in the lane which includes The Grosvenor and Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen.
WEST End residents have told businesses to stop putting their employees at fire risk after an assessment showed substantial risk of injury or fatality in Ashton Lane.
The study, carried out on behalf of Ashton Road Families and Residents Association, showed a “significant likelihood of fire” in the north section of Ashton Lane, which includes businesses such as The Grosvenor and the Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen.
Residents say that the findings were shocking even to them, after years of appealing to bar managers to tackle safety hazards such as badly corroded fire escapes and cigarettes next to pressurised gas cylinders.
Fire Risk Design, which carried out the survey, concluded that all aspects of safety i n the l ane were “unsatisfactory” and that there was a “lack of adequate controls applied to significant fire hazards”.
Frank Shennan, member and former president of the group, said: “Any fire risk in this lane is a risk to residents living nearby.
“When you think about the fires recently in Glasgow, at the Art School and others on Sauchiehall Street, people are becoming more aware of the risk that fire represents.
“This report shows a risk to homes, employees and customers. As we have seen, fires can spread quickly from building to building and into our homes.”
Residents in Ashton Road were forced to dip into their own funds to pay for the report after years of complaints being overlooked by businesses.
Carried out on July 11 this year, i nspectors found “discarded smokers’ materials” next to wheeled bins, combustible materials and propane gas cylinders, while storage of these extremely flammable materials was found to be “haphazard”.
Emails from the residents association show complaints to the G1 Group, who operate The Grosvenor and other businesses in Ashton Lane, dating back to 2003.
The current chain of communication, in which the residents have tried to clear the lanes for access, among other issues, has now been going on for three years.
The group is now concerned that if there is a fire in Ashton Lane, firefighters will struggle to gain access.
Mr Shennan added: “We have always been worried that there were hazards there but even we were surprised at just how bad it was.
“As a group we have been complaining for some time. Some of us even had issues getting out of our own back gates.
“We know that the north part of the lane is part of the fire evacuation plan for bars and businesses, including the Grosvenor. Longer term there needs to be an infrastructure chance in Ashton Lane but these issues need sorted immediately.”
Glasgow City Council has now started to take action against the businesses.
After receiving the fire risk report, which was forwarded on to the relevant departments by Green councillor Martha Wardrop, warning notices have been added to commercial bins in the lane.
The storage, which belongs to the Grosvenor Cafe, has been plastered with notices informing bosses that these must be moved by September 15 or will be removed by the council.
G1 Group and Innis & Gunn were approached for comment but could not be contacted.