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Tower block residents unable to return for a year

Ben Parker
BBC News, Suffolk
Shannon Eustace/BBC St Francis Tower with scaffolding around it. The photo is taken looking up at the building with a blue sky behind.Shannon Eustace/BBC
Work on removing the potentially dangerous cladding first started in 2018

People who were evacuated from their homes in a tower block due to flood damage have been told they will not be able to return for another year.

Residents of St Francis Tower, Ipswich, Suffolk, were forced to leave their flats in July 2023 and have since been provided with temporary accommodation by the block's property management company, Pier Management.

In a letter seen by the BBC, Pier Management said there has been "significant complexities" during the repair work and it was unable to give a completion date, but they were expected to take another 12-15 months.

Ross Bonner, who owns four flats in the tower, he said he was "shocked and let down" when he heard about the repair delay.

In the letter, Pier Management has offered three options to residents, which they have until 13 June to consider.

  • A "final settlement" payment of £10,000 for any alternative accommodation,
  • For residents to find a "suitable" private rental themselves, which must be a "similar standard" to housing at St Francis Tower
  • The opportunity to use a relocation business to find somewhere to live
Vikki Irwin/BBC Ross Bonner stood in front of a wall wearing a flat cap and and dark jumperVikki Irwin/BBC
Ross Bonner started a leaseholders' committee for owners of flats in the building

The current accommodation arrangements for residents will continue until 5 October, but the management firm said it was "no longer economically sustainable" to continue to extend those contracts, which it claims were for "primarily serviced apartments".

Mr Bonner said a number of residents in the building have already walked away and he expects most to accept the £10,000 offer.

This means, however, many people who own and rent out flats in the block would not have any income during the repair period.

When the repairs are complete, Mr Bonner said he feared a "flooded" market as everyone tries to rent out their empty flats at once.

He believed it could be two years before people were able to live again in the building.

St Francis Tower has been undergoing cladding removal and replacement work since 2018 after it was found to be unsafe, which saw plastic wrapping put up around the building.

Pier Management have been contacted for comment.

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