Safety fears trigger Bristol tower block evacuation

Hundreds of residents of Barton House in Barton Hill, Bristol, were told yesterday to get out of the 65-year-old tower block after surveys revealed structural risks.

Bristol City Council said that the block had been subject to a number of surveys recently to assess options for the future of the building due to its age and method of construction.

Barton House, built in 1958, is the oldest of the tower blocks in the Bristol City Council housing estate.

Surveys undertaken to three flats out of the 98 in the block indicated that in the event of a fire, explosion or large impact, there is a risk to the structure of the block.

The council said that the evacuation call was a precautionary measure and to allow for further surveys.

Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said: “A number of issues have emerged that suggest the building’s construction is sufficiently different to its blueprints that there is a material risk to the structure of the block in the event of a fire, explosion or large impact.

“This includes the apparent lack of structural ties between the floors and the load-bearing external walls. There is lower fire resistance of these structural elements and less concrete cover than set out in the original plans for the floors. Even if there was concrete cover as thick as set out in the original plans, this would still be less than would be used in a building built today.”

Tenants are being advised to stay with friends and relatives for a short period of time while further survey work and analysis is undertaken. For those who cannot stay with friends and family, a temporary rest centre has been put in place. The length of this temporary arrangement depends on a further survey of the building, the council said.

It added that the design and age of Barton House made it unique in the city and there was no evidence to suggest the issues identified within Barton House were present elsewhere.

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