Sprinklers will be fitted at shelter

A proposed council homeless shelter will be fitted with a sprinkler system to ensure residents are protected from the spread of fire.

The news follows the start of the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster in London, where at least 80 people died in the tower block blaze.

It prompted a review by councils and fire services across the country, as only a small number of flats have sprinkler systems.

But Ashford Borough Council says sprinklers will be installed at a new homeless shelter, if a purchase deal is agreed for a property in Beaver Road.

The £446,000 purchase has been delayed, but council officer Paul McKenner told members of Ashford’s Economic Regeneration and Investment Board that if the property is bought, then it could be ready to help rough sleepers by the end of next year.

It will require internal work to be done at the house to create individual rooms and a new layout, and Mr McKenner said a sprinkler system was also “vital”.

The new shelter would follow the creation of Christchurch House, which already houses homeless people in the borough and is also fitted with sprinklers.

At a cabinet meeting last week Cllr Neil Shorter discussed the council’s financial monitoring, which showed that housing services had reported a pressure of £100,000 for the increased demand in homeless accommodation, with “record numbers” being reported.

Members of the board agreed to the proposal to buy the Beaver Road property at the meeting in August.