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Ipswich woman moved from St Francis Tower to Cardinal Lofts

Alex Dunlop/BBC Caroline Haydon-KnowellAlex Dunlop/BBC
Caroline Haydon-Knowell moved from one problematic block of flats to another

A woman who moved out of a block of flats shrouded in plastic to another deemed a safety risk said she jumped "out of the frying pan into the fire".

Caroline Haydon-Knowell lived in St Francis Tower, Ipswich, from 2020 but "couldn't face another summer" there.

She moved to Cardinal Lofts last May and had hoped the issues at that block would get resolved.

The fire service issued a prohibition notice for the waterfront tower earlier this month due to safety risks.

Cardinal Lofts' freeholder Grey GR has said it was "fully committed to remediating Cardinal Lofts and to return residents to safe homes".

Steve Martin/BBC St Francis Tower in Ipswich which is covered in plastic whilst work is carried out to remove flammable claddingSteve Martin/BBC
St Francis Tower, where work is being carried out to strip flammable cladding, remains shrouded in plastic

Ms Haydon-Knowell said when she first moved into her 15th floor apartment in St Francis Tower, it was "lovely" and she had a "fantastic view".

But after the protective plastic reached her floor, which was part of work started in 2018 to strip flammable cladding, she said it became "very suffocating" and affected her mental health.

So she took an opportunity to rent a flat in the nearby Cardinal Lofts when it was offered to her.

"At least Cardinal Lofts had a balcony and some fresh air," she said.

Ms Haydon-Knowell was aware remedial works were needed at Cardinal Lofts after a safety report identified a problem with external "combustible materials".

But, she said: "We didn't realise quite how that was going to come about."

John Fairhall/BBC Cardinal Lofts, IpswichJohn Fairhall/BBC
A report into Cardinal Lofts showed the plans were signed off despite them not complying with building regulations at the time

Ms Haydon-Knowell said she had been provided with temporary accommodation but said it had been "awful being in limbo" and "not knowing what's happening".

"It's unfathomable that a company could shrink-wrap a building for two years without any thought to the residents and then the uncertainty with Cardinal Lofts and having to move out," she said.

"I'll have to choose more carefully next time."

A report into Cardinal Lofts showed the plans were signed off despite them not complying with building regulations at the time.

The management company and contractors for the work at St Francis Tower have been approached for comment.

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