Swindon tower block to get £5m safety overhaul

Repairs to the David Murray John Building could take two years

A tower block is expected to get a £5m investment to overhaul its metal panelling to make it safe.

Contractors working on repairs to the David Murray John Building in Swindon town centre found its distinctive shiny panels need to be replaced.

The repairs will require large-scale scaffolding and netting to be erected around the building so residents will have to move out during the works.

It is expected to be carried out over the next two years.

Swindon Borough Council's cabinet is due to be asked to approve the works at a meeting next Wednesday and if approved they will begin later this year.

The need to replace the panelling is not to do with fire risk, it is understood, but to do with the fact the original sheets are starting to decay.

The main concrete frame of the 47-year-old building is structurally sound, the borough council said, but contractors have been carrying out remedial work for the last 12 months.

The glazing on the 72 flats on the 10 upper floors is being reinforced, but work to remove any loose material from the external panels revealed the whole lot needed to be replaced.

The building is part of the council's plans for the regeneration of Swindon town centre

Councillor Keith Williams, cabinet member for climate change, finance and commercialisation, said: "The David Murray John (DMJ) tower is a landmark building on the Swindon skyline and we will be looking at how we can include it in future regeneration plans for the town centre.

"Our priority is to make the building safe, but we recognise there will be some tenants who do not want to continue to live in the DMJ.

"This is why I will be asking cabinet colleagues that we provide support to those who no longer wish to live in the residential block."

The council is planning to buy any leaseholder flats at open-market rates if residents want to sell their properties, and offer to rehouse any tenants.

Buying up properties and rehousing tenants could add a further £1.8m to the total bill.

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