High-rise block to get first sprinkler system
Reporter A high-rise block of flats in Newcastle is to be fitted with a new sprinkler system in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Tom Collins House, part of the Grade II listed Byker Wall estate, is believed to be the first high-rise building in the region to have sprinklers installed since the Grenfell enquiry.
The cladding on the outside of the building will also be replaced, however this is due to the age of the building material not the type of material, which the Byker Community Trust has said is not combustible.
Fire safety in high-rise flat blocks became a prominent issue in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, in which 71 people died.
Newcastle City Council granted planning permission for the work to be carried out on 12-storey building, which started this month.
The Byker Community Trust housing association has spent £26.7m on improvements work on the Byker Wall estate since 2012.
The iconic Byker Wall estate is a Newcastle landmark. Built in the 1970s to a masterplan designed by the architect Ralph Erskine, Tom Collins House is the tallest part of the estate and compromises 39 homes.
Jill Haley, chief executive of the Byker Community Trust, said: “Since July 2012, the Trust has invested £26.7m worth of improvements and we are still continuing to invest in our estate with these upgrade works to our two sheltered housing schemes.
“Despite the fact that it is not a mandatory requirement of current building regulations, the sprinkler system is being installed as an additional safety measure for our tenants.
“We believe that the installation of a retrofit sprinkler system to a high-rise building may be the first in the region since the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
“There are other schemes in planning but we are not aware of any where the works have actually started on site.”
The work on Tom Collins House is expected to be completed by Autumn 2018.
Newcastle City Council said it has no plans to retrofit sprinklers in Your Homes Newcastle-owned high-rise blocks.
The authority estimates it would cost £18m to fit sprinkler systems in all the flat blocks across the city, and they would have to borrow money to do this.
David Langhorne, Assets and Development Director, Your Homes Newcastle, said: “Our high-rise blocks continue to be some of the safest in the country.
“We are continuing to invest in the fire safety measures that residents told us they wanted, such as new fire doors.
“On sprinklers, the majority of residents did not want them fitted to their home, so we have been looking at how they can be installed in communal areas within the blocks, and will be trialling their use in bin rooms, whilst we await the detailed findings of the Grenfell Tower enquiry.”