Major refurb works announced for Bristol housing blocks
Bristol City Council admits the work has been overdue for years
Last updated 17th Jun 2024
Bristol City Council has announced major refurbishment works on five housing blocks in St Judes, saying the whole programme could take five years to complete.
In a briefing held with local media today (13th June) a spokesperson for the council admitted the work has been on the authority's "to do list" for more than a decade, but has not previously been possible because of funding issues.
Expected to cost up to £18 million, residents are now being contacted about the plans for Charleton House, Haviland House, John Cozens House, Langton House and Tyndall House.
"Over the next few weeks, starting from Monday 17 June, contractors will begin to set themselves up across the 5 blocks to carry out initial survey works and later the refurbishment," a statement about the work on the council website, reads.
"Until the survey work is complete, we will not be able to progress with the intended repairs and new installations."
Some survey work has already been conducted on the blocks, but so they can be completed 14 residents are being asked to move out of their apartments for up to three months. They will be put up in alternative accommodation in the meantime and offered help with transport if not in the same area.
Timeline
According to the council, those residents being asked to move out will be asked to do so in July and August, with the surveys on those properties then planned from July to September.
It is hoped full refurbishment work can then begin in December or January, with the initial plan being that Haviland House, John Cozens House and one other would be tackled first.
No fears over structure
News of this refurbishment work comes less than a year after residents in another council owned tower block, Barton House, were evacuated when initial survey work suggested the building was not structurally secure.
Told at first to pack just for a few days away from home, residents ended up being forced out for several months; eventually told they could move back in when further survey work showed initial fears were unfounded.
Hits Radio understands these five other blocks in St Judes are built in a similar way to Barton House, but in the case of these blocks, initial survey works have not raised any structural concerns.
A council spokesperson has told Hits Radio they are confident that no similar situation will arise.
If you want to find out more about the work, you can do so here.