Bristol council to install sprinklers in all tower blocks

The investment comes after a recent fire at Twinnell House

A council is investing £97m to make its tower blocks more fire resistant.

Sprinklers will be installed and dangerous cladding removed in all 62 high rises owned by Bristol City Council.

A total of £32.7m will be spent installing sprinklers, plus £23.7m to cover the ongoing costs of maintaining them.

Barton House resident Shaban Ali said: "Families and their loved ones can now sleep easy."

The investment to make high-rise homes safe over the next 10 years is almost five times the amount previously allocated and follows two recent blazes, including the Twinnell House fire.

When the council set its annual budget in February 2019, it included a five-year plan costing £7m to fit sprinklers in individual flats.

But last November it was revealed that sprinklers had been introduced in only one of the buildings - Butler House in St George - following delays caused by Covid and resistance from residents at Castlemead House in Brislington.

Sprinklers will be installed and dangerous cladding removed in all 62 Bristol City Council tower blocks

The latest five-year plan, agreed by cabinet on 24 January, should see £2.6m spent installing the safety devices in 2023/24, followed by £7.6m the next year, £8.2m in 2025/26, £6m the year after that and £8.2m by year five.

Another £46m will pay for the removal of expanded polystyrene cladding by 2033.

Community union Acorn has hailed the council's commitment as a victory.

Acorn head organiser Nick Ballard added: "The very least we want from a home is a safe place to go to sleep.

"Sadly for the residents of these Bristol tower blocks, this was not the case."

Some planned work has been postponed to help pay for the scheme, with the laundry refurbishment programme extended by six years and upgrades to garages stopped altogether.