People banned from keeping cars at 'fire trap' flats but they can still live there

EXCLUSIVE: The Decks development is fitted with the same material that contributed to the devastating fire at The Cube student block in Bolton last month

Residents of six apartment blocks fear they are living in a “fire trap” after learning their flats have the same cladding as a student block in Bolton that was turned into a towering inferno last month.

Tenants have begun looking for new homes and flat prices have plummeted at The Decks development on the south bank of the Mersey in Runcorn after the high-pressure laminate (HPL) cladding on the buildings was deemed to be a fire hazard.

The same material, previously considered low risk, was used to clad The Cube in Bolton which suffered a catastrophic fire in November leaving 200 students homeless. Witnesses described the blaze “crawling up the cladding like it was nothing”.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has banned residents from using the car parks beneath The Decks to limit the risk that a car fire will spread up the building while the council has instituted overnight “waking watches” to provide an early warning if a fire breaks out.

In a letter to residents of The Decks’ approximately 300 flats, the fire brigade said: “It is the opinion of Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service that a car fire under or adjacent to the building has a very real possibility of spreading rapidly through the internal structure of the building and via some of the cladding materials.”

Residents looking to leave ‘fire trap’

A spokesperson for Halton Council stressed that: “It is very important to reassure the residents and community that these buildings are safe for occupation and that solutions are available to address the issues that have been raised in national government’s advice notes.”

However, residents are still deeply concerned about the risk of a fire spreading quickly and fear it will be a long time before the panels are replaced if property owners, landowners and the management company dispute who should fund the work.

One couple, Cristina and Gonzalo Quaresma, who live on the top floor of one of the blocks, said the situation was “stressful”.

Mr Quaresma said: “If there’s a danger so drastic that we have to move the cars out of the building, isn’t it dangerous to have people at home cooking?

“If they think the cars are so dangerous, we shouldn’t be here. They left the bigger danger inside.”

In June 2017, a fire in the bin store at the base of one of the blocks damaged a flat on the top floor of the same block, some five storeys up.

But, Mr Quaresma said, the bins are still there, adding that he couldn’t understand how the risks had been assessed.

Reluctantly, the couple have started looking for somewhere else to live.

Mrs Quaresma said: “I don’t want to move because I really like it here, I like my neighbours.

“This was meant to be our safe place, our friendly place, and I feel really concerned regarding the fact that I could be working one day and get a phone call saying it’s high risk and we have to move.”

Another resident, who declined to give his name, said: “It’s like living in a fire trap.

“I think the thing is people are waiting to see what happens after Christmas. I think there will just be a mass exit after Christmas.”

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Flat owners face huge bills to replace unsafe cladding

A notice posted by the entrance to each block by building managers Scanlans claims the company is still negotiating with the fire brigade to get the order banning residents from using the car parks lifted.

The notice says: “Things are looking much more positive” and indicates the original builders, Taylor Wimpey, and local councillor Norman Plumpton-Walsh are “proactively involved” in finding a solution.

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said The Decks had been built in line with the building regulations and fire safety standards in place at the time, adding: “We are in contact with the freeholder of The Deck in Runcorn in relation to its review of the buildings at the Development.

“Although Taylor Wimpey does not retain any ownership or legal interest in the Development, we of course remain willing to assist in terms of providing information and support where we can.”

Cllr Plumpton-Walsh said he was “very concerned about the situation and fully understands, and shares the concerns of residents”.

He added: “I have strongly voiced my concerns and this has led to the council providing the waking watch, helping to identify alternative parking, and ensuring the impact of the new government Advice Note on The Deck residents is clearly understood by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in Whitehall.”

However, the latest government advice - known as Advice Note 14 - suggests that the only realistic solution is replacing the HPL panels.

Scanlans’ notice says the HPL panels used at The Decks have a rating of D for combustibility, while the government now requires cladding to have a rating of A2 or better.

After the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017, government attention focused on the aluminium composite material (ACM) used to clad the tower in west London, while HPL continued to be regarded as safe and a fire service review cleared The Decks as low-risk.

But government experts said in June that tests had shown D-rated HPL cladding was “very unlikely to adequately resist the spread of fire” and urged that it be removed as soon as possible.

So while tenants look for new places to live, leaseholders may have to foot the bill for replacing the HPL panels - a move that could cost them up to £40,000 each.

One leaseholder, who rents out his flat at The Decks, told the ECHO: “So far I have no idea of the cost but it is likely that it would be impossible for me to pay them, therefore I could lose the property.

“Whilst all this is going on as well my tenants must be worried about being in the building, along with other flat owners.”

But flat owners could also take a double hit if they cannot afford to pay for the cladding to be replaced and have to sell their flats.

Concerns about fire safety have already seen some sales of flats at The Decks held up or fall through, and the asking price of the flats has crashed - in some cases by 50%.

When The Decks first went on the market in 2006, flats sold for between £100,000 and £140,000.

Now, some flats are being offered for as little as £60,000.

What happens next?

The car parks at The Decks seem likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future, with anyone parking there facing criminal prosecution for breaching a fire service prohibition notice.

Lee Shears, head of protection at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “There are serious concerns that a fire involving a vehicle parked under or adjacent to the building has the potential to spread rapidly to the timber structure and external cladding of the building.

"Prohibiting the parking removes that risk and will remain in place until work has been completed by the managing agent to bring the buildings in line with current regulations.”

Scanlans and the fire service held a meeting with tenants and leaseholders last Wednesday (December 4) to discuss the situation, but as yet, there is no indication of when remediation work will be completed, or who will pay for it.

In its notice, Scanlans said it would consult owners “before any capital expenditure is instigated” and “other avenues of funding are also being sought”.

But unlike the ACM cladding that covered Grenfell Tower, there is currently no government funding to help replace HPL panels.

Scanlans declined to comment on whether the panels would need to be replaced or who would be responsible for paying for the work.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We advised those people attending the meeting last Wednesday that further investigations will be taking place at The Deck in January, following which we will have a better understanding of what is required.

“We continue to work closely with the Residents Association, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and Halton Borough Council.”

A council spokesperson echoed this point, adding: “The managing agents are well on with proposals to address this new advice received from the Ministry for Housing.

“There is a close working relationship between the fire service, managing agents, council and other parties who are all working together in the resident’s interests.”

Residents, meanwhile, remain in limbo, fearing any remediation work will be delayed by arguments over who will foot the bill.

One told the ECHO: “I don’t think anybody’s proactively involved. I just think you’ll see people backing away from each other.”

Another added: “They [Scanlans] aren’t going to sort it out. Somewhere along the line, they’re going to say it’s down to the owners if they want to do it.”

Whether the owners will be able to afford the work, however, is another question.