Barton House 'not built according to plans' says councillor

A tower block subject to an emergency evacuation was not constructed according to plans, a city councillor has said.

More than 400 residents were forced to leave Barton House in Bristol on Tuesday, with the council declaring a major incident.

Kye Dudd, cabinet member for housing services and energy, said the issues lay with its concrete sections.

"If the building was built to design we wouldn't have this problem," he said.

"The issue is within the construction of the building and the job that was done at the time, it wasn't built to the design specs - that's the problem we're dealing with."

Bristol City Council (BCC) declared a major incident after surveys conducted on three of the 98 flats showed Barton House, built in 1958, would be unsafe in the event of a fire, explosion or large impact.

The council said Barton House was not affected by the same reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) which caused issues in many schools and hospitals.

Mr Dudd said: "I had a briefing on Monday where the report from the structural engineer was presented to me and it looked really bad, so I said to the team we need to prepare for a potential emergency evacuation.

"But we also had to seek further advice from the fire brigade, so the following day we had another meeting...and we had some prep on where we would potentially move people.

"We had to take the decision with the information we had as the safety with residents is paramount."

The council added it had notified the government's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities about the structural issue which forced the evacuation.

BCC said this latest issue did not affect other buildings in the city.

People were told to pack enough clothes for a day or two and stay with friends and family, or go to rest centres, the council said.

Many were taken on buses to temporary accommodation, carrying their belongings in plastic bags and suitcases.

Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, said letters have been sent to residents to update them on the situation.

"We are working at pace to complete further surveys now, to go deep into the structure and understand when it would be safe for residents to move back into Barton House," he said.

"The surveys will take us some time to complete, so residents will need to be away from home while they are carried out.

"We are working as quickly as we can to find everyone suitable temporary accommodation."

Wilfred Stewart lives in a flat on the 10th floor of Barton House.

The 50-year-old showed the BBC around his flat, which has cracks in the walls and in what appears to be supporting beams.

He said he had painted over the cracks a number of times but they had kept reappearing.

"This crack has been here for years and it's by my back door. The wall is almost separated from the door," he said.

Mr Stewart said there were lots of elderly people who lived in the building, as well as children.

He added: "Some people managed to get hotels for the night but a lot of people went to the mosque or the GP clinic over the road.

"I hope we get better communication today."

A woman who has been living at the building for nine years said that after being evacuated she stayed at a friend's home with her two children.

But she added: "After tonight I don't know where I am going to go."

Nuh Sharif, a Barton House resident, said his family spent a "difficult" night in a hotel.

He said he did not think they would ever return to living in Barton House as he would not feel safe.

"I don't want to put my wife and kids at risk," he said.

Mr Shariff added: "Last night was very difficult for me and my kids. I am not sure what will happen next. [The Council] put us in a hotel last night and we didn't sleep.

"We have come back to try and get more information about what next."

Meanwhile, a first-floor resident, who has been living in Barton House for six years, said she decided to stay in the tower block on Tuesday night.

"I didn't leave. There was advice to go along to certain points, I went along and nobody knew what was going on," she said.

"There is no update yet today and I am going to be back tonight."

Others in the area said the situation has caused "shock and panic" in the community.

Khalil Abdi, of Bristol Horn Youth Concern, said: "People finished work, picked up their children, then they got the news from the media.

"The whole area is shocked, not only this building. I saw people having panic attacks, falling on the floor. It was very difficult for the residents and the community.

"The work the council need to do today is to provide information - how long are people going to be away from their homes? How long are they going to be in temporary accommodation? They need assurances."

Barton Hill Academy confirmed 20 pupils had been affected by the evacuation.

Headteacher Matthew Poulson said: "When we first heard the news it was about getting out into the community, a rally call to staff members.

"Nine of us came down out of hours to support our families but that's what we do here."

Mr Poulson said some of the children were able to attend lessons today but others could not.

"We're currently in contact with the other families to offer practical and emotional support which we will continue to do so," he added.

High Rise Housing: Forced to Leave

If you want to find out more about the Bristol tower block residents evacuated from their homes due to safety concerns watch 'High Rise Housing: Forced to Leave' now on BBC iPlayer (UK only).

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