Sheffield: Wicker Riverside flats still unsafe, says fire chief

Fire safety concerns at Wicker Riverside have not been resolved

Residents of a block of flats in Sheffield face being forced to move out over fire safety fears for second time in less than three years.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) has served a prohibition notice on Wicker Riverside, saying previously identified issues have not been fixed.

Concerns first came to light during inspections of high-rise buildings after the Grenfell Tower fire.

Residents have been told they must evacuate by the end of January.

'Horrendous situation'

Assistant chief fire officer Andy Strelczenie, said: "Prohibiting the use of a building in this way is always a last resort, particularly when it will cause so much disruption to those living there. Ultimately though, the safety of the residents must come first.

"Our hearts go out to all those affected by this horrendous situation but we simply cannot allow this unsafe situation to continue."

The fire service first served a prohibition notice on Wicker Riverside two years ago after safety officials carried out inspections in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people.

Residents of the 10-storey building were told weeks before Christmas 2020 that they must move out or face arrest.

The notice was removed after building manager Love Your Block implemented interim safety measures.

Love Your Block acts on behalf of WRLARA RTM, the company founded by leaseholders that claimed responsibility for running the building in October 2019 following frustrations with their landlord.

A brigade spokesperson said inspecting officers had since served multiple enforcement notices and continued to engage with the company to ensure issues were resolved. But they said a long-term solution had not been found within the required timeframe.

The issues with the building include its internal fire compartmentation - designed to stop a fire from spreading throughout a building - as well as inadequate smoke control arrangements and external cladding.

The interim measures provided can no longer be considered interim as there is no effective plan in place for remediation, said the spokesman. The fire service said it cannot allow this situation to continue indefinitely.

'Very disappointed'

Mr Strelczenie said: "We'll continue to work with the responsible persons to try to remediate the issues within the building but this is likely to take a significant amount of time. The notice will remain in force until we are satisfied the building is safe."

The new notice was served on 5 December but will not come into force until the existing notice expires at the end of next month, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The issue was raised by councillor Jayne Dunn at a meeting of Sheffield City Council. Chair of South Yorkshire Fire Authority, Tony Damms, invited Mr Strelczenie to give members an update.

Mr Damms said: "We're very disappointed that we've had to serve a second prohibition notice and the people I'm most concerned about are the residents who are having this upset just before Christmas.

"I'd like to think that the landlords are looking at compensating people properly for a second upset."

In a statement, WRLARA and Love Your Block said they had "worked closely" with the fire service for the past two years to improve safety including by installing a fire alarm in each of the block's 132 flats.

They added: "The new Building Safety Act introduced much-needed protections to prevent leaseholders from being charged for fire safety improvements through service charges, but the change to the law also blocked further work from occurring without the landlord's financial contribution.

"We are encouraged that the landlord is now engaging with the RTM company and has committed to funding the essential safety works, including their contribution towards replacing the dangerous external wall cladding, which will unlock the government's Building Safety Fund £4.5m grant.

"There has been significant and meaningful collaboration with the landlord since the fire service issued the Prohibition Notice on 5 December 2022, and we are hopeful that sufficient progress can be demonstrated so that the closure of the building can be prevented."

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