Tower blocks underwent £5m refurbishment in 1990s
In October 1999, the Echo reported how Sunderland City Council spent more than £5million on significant overhauls of its high-rise blocks.
The project included new roofs and cladding at Lambton, Londonderry and Lumley Towers in the East End and the final phase of inside and outside improvements to tower blocks at Lakeside (Gilley Law). We reported how the three towers in the East End, which date from the late 1960s, were lined up for a major refit, similar to D’Arcy and South Durham Courts, in Hendon.
Geoff Prior, development services manager with the council’s housing department, said at the time: “The concrete panels have been on there since the year dot. We’re completely overcladding the blocks and putting in energyefficiency insulation over that to reduce the tenants heating bills.”
And only last October, we reported how a pilot scheme saw a sprinkler system installed in D’Arcy Court, in Hendon, as part of a £4million refurbishment project.
The project was supported by Tyne and Fire and Rescue Service, who ran a campaign called Sprinklers Save Lives.
Gentoo’s executive director of property, Ian Porter, told the Echo at the time that it hoped to install sprinklers in its other high-rise blocks in the future, however, no time scale was indicated.
He said: “As a result of our continuing discussions with the fire service, we are eager to invest in schemes that could save lives in the event of a fire. The sprinkler pilot will enable us to trial this arrangement with the hope to roll it out.”