Barton House is a residential tower block in the Barton Hill area of Bristol, England. It is the city's oldest tower block and was officially opened on 23 July 1958.[1][2]
History
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Barton House was constructed by 1958 at a cost of £315,744 (now more than £6.1 million).[2][3][4] Strengthening works and concrete repairs were carried out around 1970, but there were no records of any structural surveys between then and at least 2018.[5]
On 14 November 2023, Bristol City Council declared a risk of building collapse, ordering all residents to evacuate.[6] This was due to "major structural faults" being discovered.[7] Surveys at three of the 98 flats found there was a "risk to the structure of the block" in the event of a fire, explosion or large impact.[8] The structural issues are reportedly not due to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).[9] Around 400 people were told to find alternative accommodation.[10] The city council offered compensation to residents and temporary housing in a nearby Holiday Inn hotel, and payment of taxi fees resulting from the evacuation. On 28 November, it was revealed that the city council expected residents to continue payment of rent, allegedly for contractual reasons.[11]
On 10 January 2024, the city council announced that residents should be able to return to their homes in February, after work to secure the safety of the building started on 8 January.[12]
See also
edit- Ronan Point - a block of flats that collapsed in 1968 which was built with large panel system-building, a similar design to Barton House.
- Surfside condominium collapse
- Tower blocks in Great Britain - description of British tower blocks and external links to relevant material.
References
edit- ^ Booth, Martin (2023-11-15). "Hundreds of residents evacuated from Bristol's oldest tower block". Bristol24/7. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ a b "Barton Hill Flats". Voices of the Past. 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Barton House 'not built according to plans' says councillor". BBC News. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ "Bank of England Inflation Calculator". Bank of England. 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Booth, Robert (15 November 2023). "Barton House: what happened and what is Bristol council doing about it?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ "Barton House evacuation". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ "Barton House in Bristol evacuated over 'structural fault'". BBC News. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ "Major incident declared as Bristol tower block residents told to leave homes 'immediately' due to 'risk to structure'". Sky News. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ Highfield, Anna (15 November 2023). "Evacuated Bristol housing block 'wasn't built to design spec' says councillor". The Architects' Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ Morris, Steven (14 November 2023). "Bristol council evacuates hundreds of people from unsafe tower block". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ Codd, Toby (28 November 2023). "Barton House residents must continue paying rent, council says". Bristol Live. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Mather, Steve; Jenkins, Sammy (10 January 2024). "Barton House: Bristol residents to return home next month". BBC News. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
External links
edit- Tower Blocks UK Large Panel Systems - videos and information about large panel systems.
- Bristol Housing Reports 1955-1959 - image of Barton House being built.