Call to stop ex-office being used to home families

Shelter wants Bristol City Council to reconsider its use of Imperial Apartments in south Bristol

A housing charity is calling on a council to stop housing families in a converted office block that is used as temporary accommodation.

Shelter wants Bristol City Council to reconsider its use of Imperial Apartments in south Bristol, run by Caridon, due to concerns about damp and mould, disrepair and rat infestations.

Families have also reported anti-social behavior, with drug equipment and alcohol bottles left in communal areas.

The council said it would carefully consider the letter while Caridon said it sympathised with people's circumstances, but explained it had only managed the building for the past 12 months and related the concerns to "historic issues".

'Violence and racism'

Among the signatories to the letter were several GP surgeries, the Bristol Fair Renting Campaign and community campaign group Acorn.

The letter states families were told they would only be housed in Imperial Apartments on a temporary basis, but in reality have no hope of moving to suitable social homes unless their circumstances change significantly.

"They [residents] are afraid to leave their flats after witnessing incidents of violence, harassment, racism, or other anti-social behaviour on the site," it states.

"These concerns extend to crucial health services and some have stopped responding to calls to go to Imperial Apartments as they are worried about the safety of their staff."

It adds that due to the building's design as an office, the flats and access routes are not suitable for people with mobility issues, and the apartments are too small for families with children.

Shelter has said it wants the council to reclassify residents as having an urgent housing need and provide more support to help people move to alternative accommodation.

Councillor Richard Eddy said he had a constructive meeting with Caridon, Shelter and senior housing officers in August.

"We have done a great deal of work in partnership with Caridon over the last year which has resulted in significant improvements for residents," he said.

"However, we are currently considering our options for when our contracts with Caridon come up for review.

"We'll carefully consider the letter."

A Caridon spokesperson said: "We of course sympathise with individual circumstances highlighted in the campaign but we can only comment on our management services which we have invested in heavily over the last 12 months to improve."

The spokesperson said they did not recognise the conditions of the apartments set out in the letter and believed the concerns raised were related to "historic issues".

Caridon and the council have offered to meet with Shelter to address any concerns.