Residents at flood-hit Ipswich tower block offered £3,000 settlement after being forced out of homes
St Francis Tower was evacuated in July after major flooding
Last updated 30th Aug 2023
Residents of a flood-hit Ipswich tower block have been offered a lump sum after being forced into temporary accomodation in July.
People living in St Francis Tower have been offered payments of around £3,000 to help them find places to live while repairs are carried out.
The 17 storey block, one of the tallest buildings in Ipswich, has been warpped in plastic for several years due to issues with cladding on the side of the building.
Tenant and leaseholders are still no closer to knowing when they'll be allowed back into their homes, with some calling the money on offer 'inadeqaute'.
Ross Bonner, who owns the leasehold on four flats in St Francis Tower, told Greatest Hits Radio:
"It's caused a ridiculous amount of stress, it's not just stress for your business and keeping yourself above water... I've got sympathy for my tenants."
"People are deserving of simple living conditions".
"What (the management company) are pushing on residents is if you accept this offer.... they've wiped their hands of all obligations to the residents."
"Everything has to be cleared out of the flats... so you've just got to disappear."
Residents have criticised a lack of communication with Pier Management, the firm responsible for the building.
A spokesperson for Pier Management said: “Our priorities have been to work in conjunction with the underwriter of the insurance policy for St Francis Tower to support tenants at this time and to repair the building so they can return to a safe home when the Fire Brigade lifts the order that prevents occupation."
"Many tenants will be able to return to their homes in the coming months. For those unable to return at this point, the insurance underwriter has provided an alternative option of a one off settlement payment recognising the difficulties of living in a hotel for an extended period of time.
"If a tenant chooses not to proceed with the settlement payment, the underwriter will continue to provide hotel accommodation and endeavour to identify alternatives which are more suitable for living in the longer term.
"Our team have been in communication with the vast majority of tenants and are on hand to discuss all of the options with them as required.”