EXCLUSIVE: Ipswich man speaks out as years of campaigning over fire safety issues comes to an end
The fire safety issues of Cardinal Lofts came to light after surveys were completed in response to the Grenfell Tower block fire
Last updated 22nd Dec 2023
A lengthy battle over unsafe living conditions is coming to an end for one Ipswich resident as he moves out of his tower block in time for Christmas.
Alex Dickin, who founded campaign group the Ipswich Cladiators after finding himself caught up in a fire safety scandal in Ipswich, exclusively invited Northsound 1 to go along when he went to visit his flat in Cardinal Lofts for the final time.
As his journey comes to an end, we've taken the opportunity to look back at how the unsafe homes scandal in Ipswich has unfolded.
Ipswich's flat fire risk revealed after Grenfell
The fire safety issues of Cardinal Lofts first came to light in November 2020 after surveys were completed in response to the Grenfell Tower block fire back in June 2017.
Grey GR, the Freeholders of Cardinal Lofts, and other buildings in the area, commissioned more surveys over the following two years that identified 17 separate defects including a lack of fire stopping, inadequate plumbing and significant void areas between added floors.
All of this means, should a fire start, it would spread rapidly, and the building itself would not be structurally sound
The top three floors were evacuated initially but after further surveys, Grey GR asked all residents to leave their homes on the 21st of February 2023.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue then confirmed the evacuation by issuing a full prohibition notice on the 15th of March 2023 and the remaining residents were given 24 hours to evacuate, still unaware of the extent of the issues their building had.
Since the beginning Alex Dickin has been fighting for residents rights by founding campaign group the Ipswich Cladiators.
They wanted the cost of repairs to be covered by the government, with the building safety Fund extended to include latent defects at the time of construction, not just cladding issues.
They have been in contact with various political representatives such as Methew Penny Cook and have taken part in strikes to have their voices heard.
Cardinal Lofts homes being bought back
After a gruelling journey, as of October 2023 residents of Cardinal Lofts have been in discussions with their freeholder Rail Pen, who are buying back the apartments, because it is not economically viable to fix the issues.
This means, that if the residents accept their individual offers, they will be free of the issues that have tormented them.
Alex Dickin is one of the residents who has received and accepted his buyback offer.
We went with him to visit his flat for a final time.
We asked him what it was like to see his flat now, compared to the first time he walked in as a new homeowner.
He told us seeing it empty and with holes in the floor, walls and ceiling as well as all the furniture and fixings gone "doesn't compare to the happy memories of living there"
He explained that when he first moved in everything was "so well kept." It was clean and tidy, there was a swimming pool, the lift worked and it was "such an inviting place to live" but seeing it in its current state "dusty and torn apart" is "unimaginable."
The impact on residents
The journey over the last few years has included uncertainty, emotional stress, financial stress and more.
Alex told us he is now a more anxious and less trusting person because of this ordeal.
And he says it's going to take a while for him to regain trust in the "property sector and the construction industry because so many organisations and companies and people have let me down."
There's light at the end of the tunnel
For Alex receiving an offer on his flat was bittersweet. He revealed he always imagined the building would eventually be fixed and he could sell it in the "normal way."
"No one goes to buy a property to then be evacuated from it and then to receive a buyback offer because it is so unsafe."
He reflected that in the 5 years he had lived there a portion was during the pandemic and he was "effectively trapped in an unsafe building."
"I bought that flat in the good faith that it was safe to live in and now I find out that it was so dangerous if there had been a fire during those five years - I might not be here to tell this story."
What's next for Alex?
Alex's campaigning journey has come to an end, with the sale of his flat he's decided to take a step back from the Ipswich Cladiators.
He told us what the future is "looking better" for him now, but has admitted he'll continue to rent for a while yet, and when the time comes to buy it won't be a flat, and it won't be a leasehold.
But it's not the end of the road for everyone with many more residents caught up in similar situations in other tower blocks in Ipswich.
Alex had this message for those still fighting: "My campaigning is coming to an end, but don't give up the fight.
"Keep fighting and eventually a good solution, like mine, will come about."