Barton House: residents WILL be able to move back, but no return date confirmed
Leaders of Bristol City Council held a meeting with Barton House residents this afternoon... and despite the decision, no moving-in date has been confirmed
Last updated 18th Dec 2023
Residents of an evacuated Bristol tower block have been told essential work is needed - but they will soon be able to move back in - nearly five weeks after survey work found a fire could cause its collapse.
Around 400 people living in Barton House were told to leave immediately on Tuesday 14 November, with most put up in a city centre hotel ever since.
In a meeting with Bristol City Council bosses this afternoon, it was revealed that the issues found by earlier surveys 'are not present throughout the whole building', but it's not yet know when it'll be safe enough for residents to move back in.
In a statement during the council meeting, it was revealed: "Issues suggested by earlier surveys are not present throughout the whole building... residents will be able to move back into the building.
"Some essential works will be required to make Barton House safe to return to. The full extent of the work required is yet to be determined... it will not be safe for residents to return before Christmas and the New Year."
The Barton House story
Built in 1958, Barton House is Bristol's oldest council tower block.
It features 98 flats in total, housing around 400 people, all of whom were told to leave on 14 November when surveys on three of those flats found that, according to the council, "in the event of a fire, explosion or large impact, there is a risk to the structure of the block."
The building was put up using a large panel system known as LPS.
That design method has been known to be dangerous since 1968 when an explosion in a London tower block built in the same way, led to its partial collapse, killing four people.
Since the evacuation it has emerged that the government wrote to all councils with LPS blocks in 2017, pointing out that they may be dangerous and urging investigations be carried out.
However, a Freedom of Information request submitted to Bristol City Council in 2018 shows there were no surveys done on Barton House between the 1970s and that year.
Moreover, in the past five weeks Barton House residents have become increasingly frustrated at what they see as poor communication from the City Council.
On the initial night some media outlets were on the scene before many residents had heard of the danger and they were told to only pack for a couple of days, despite it quickly becoming clear they would need to be out for far longer.
On top of that, an on running dispute between Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees and the housing union ACORN, which represents many residents in the block, has meant Mr Rees has repeatedly refused to speak to them, claiming most recently at a full council meeting last week (12 December) that ACORN are "not a union", when members tried to ask him questions about the situation.
Mr Rees has previously told Hits Radio he considers ACORN's views "irrelevant", despite the group saying 25 per cent of Barton House residents are paid members.
Bristol City Council has previously said none of its other tower blocks are thought to be at risk, calling the design and age of Barton House "unique".
"There is currently no evidence to suggest the issues identified within Barton House are present elsewhere, although the council is regularly surveying its estate as it works to meet all regulatory requirements," a statement shared last month reads.