Flat owners face uncertain future amid safety issues

Safety issues were discovered at the building after the Grenfell Tower fire in London

Flat owners in a building in Ipswich are waiting to find out whether the government will cover the cost of fire safety repairs.

A planning application to fix unsafe cladding on the outside of Churchmans House has been submitted.

A report had said the fire risk at the building was "high and not tolerable".

Chu Man, from the Churchmans House Residents Management Company, said flat owners were facing stress and anxiety.

Mr Man said the first application for financial support was made in 2020 and has seen some funding, such as an alarm system fitted, costing around £75,000.

That meant a waking watch, which had been required by the fire service, could be stood down, having cost around £80,000.

Changes to the ventilation system, installation of vents and other internal works are all needed.

There have been concerns that if fire safety work is not carried out, the fire service may require residents to leave, similar to the nearby Cardinal Lofts.

Churchmans, which was a former cigarette factory, was converted to housing by the same developers that built Cardinal Lofts.

The building is next door to Ipswich Town FC's Portman Road stadium

Mr Man said leaseholders were waiting to hear whether the government would cover the cost of work to replace unsafe cladding on the exterior of the building.

However, there are concerns that not every leaseholder in the building will be totally covered, with government policy splitting owners into protected, capped and non-qualifying.

Mr Man said he hoped the government would approve total funding.

"We have tried to minimise disruption and costs as much as practically possible during this time, but anything short of 100% funding for the remediation of the external walls will lead to delays, more stress and anxiety for all leaseholders at Churchmans," he said.

"All our fates hinge with those deemed 'non-qualifying' and 'capped' leaseholders under the Building Safety Act, and theirs, and our building owner's ability to pay should there be any shortfall in funding."

The government told the BBC it was working on a funding agreement to support remediation works.

The Labour MP for Ipswich, Jack Abbott, said: "Those who are responsible for the building safety crisis should be the ones paying to fix it.

"It should never come down to leaseholders to fork out thousands on legal fees."