Investigation reveals fire risk at landmark ‘Seven Sisters’ flats in Rochdale

Hundreds of tenants at Rochdale’s landmark Seven Sisters flats have been given emergency advice after an investigation found fire could spread between flats on the same floor.

Although assessments are carried out at College Bank every year, the number of properties now empty due to plans to demolish four of the blocks meant more ‘intrusive’ work could be carried out over recent weeks.

Landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) says its ‘extensive investigations’ – including examining the inside of walls – uncovered serious problems dating back to work carried out in the late 1990s.

The structure of high rise flats should provide ‘compartmentation’ – which prevents fires from spreading between flats within the same block.

Standard advice to residents has been to ‘stay put’ in the event of a blaze, to prevent tenants being overcome by smoke and allowing firefighters to deal with incidents quickly and safely.

But due to the serious structural problems, this is changing to ‘get out’ at College Bank for tenants who becomes aware of a fire on the same floor.

‘Get out’ policies have also been put in place at high rise blocks across the country – including Greater Manchester – fitted with the same cladding that led to the Grenfell disaster, although there is no cladding issue at College Bank.

Assessments did not find compartmentation problems between flats on different levels, but residents may be asked to leave if there is a fire on a floor immediately below or above their apartment.

RBH will also put in place a ‘waking watch’ to monitor the tower blocks round-the-clock, so action can be taken at the first sign of a blaze.

Gareth Swarbrick, chief executive at RBH, said: “The safety and wellbeing of residents is our number one priority. Guided by appropriate expert advice we are putting in place a number of immediate steps to keep residents safe and it is important that all residents read and follow the updated safety guidance.”

A letter the landlord distributed to tenants this afternoon said: “Our investigations have found that there is an issue with the external panels that might increase the potential for a fire to spread to other homes on the same level, rather than being contained as it should be. 

“This is known as a problem with ‘compartmentation’ and appears to have been caused by inappropriate work carried out on the buildings in 1998, before the formation of RBH. As ever, our residents’ safety and wellbeing is our number one priority.”

Of the 772 flats across the seven high rise blocks, around 500 are currently occupied – most by a single tenant.

RBH has found that the problems with compartmentation affect all the homes at College Bank, regardless of which building or floor they are on.

The housing provider is looking into what work will need to be carried out to make the buildings safe in the longer term.

But, with immediate effect, safety advice to tenants is changing to ‘get out and call the fire service by dialling 999′, if there is a fire on the same floor as their flat.

They are also asked to alert neighbours as they make their way out, if possible, and exit the building using the stairs, not the lift.

And in a move described as a ‘precaution’ RBH is to hire a specialist firm to conduct a ‘waking watch’ which will operate ‘round-the-clock’ and quickly alert residents, the emergency services and RBH itself in the event of a fire.

The service will be in place for an initial three months and the cost will not be charged to residents.

Mr Swarbrick said the landlord understood the news ‘may be very unsettling’ for residents and that help would be on hand should it be needed.

Tenants can direct any questions or concerns about fire safety to RBH by visiting myrbh.org.uk/contact-us, signing into the myrbh.org.uk/ portal, or calling 0800 0277 769.

The telephone helpline will be monitored until 8pm for the rest of this week.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporting Service