Sprinkler system to be installed in tower block one year on from Grenfell tragedy
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service reassure and provide safety advice to residents of St Peters Court tower block following the Grenfell Tower fire in London.Picture: Nick Butcher - Credit: Nick Butcher
Work on the £200,000 sprinkler system promised to Lowestoft tower block residents in the aftermath of the Grenfell tragedy will soon get under way.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service reassure and provide safety advice to residents of St Peters Court tower block following the Grenfell Tower fire in London.Picture: Nick Butcher - Credit: Nick Butcher
Contractors are scheduled to begin work at St Peters Court in September.
Waveney District Council (WCD) vowed to provide residents of the 16-storey residential block with a full-building sprinkler system last year to provide additional reassurance after 72 people died in the London blaze.
A spokesman for WDC said: 'We are delighted to confirm that a contractor has been appointed for the work following a rigorous tender process.
'To ensure that tenants are satisfied with the proposals, it is intended that the contractor will first fit the system in an empty property, allowing tenants the opportunity to see it in operation and to comment.
St Peters Court resident Nicola Fletcher and her children Harrison and Caitlyn. Photo: James Carr. - Credit: Archant
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'It will then take around four months to fully install the system throughout the whole building.'
As part of its ongoing maintenance programme at St Peters Court the council has fitted new, upgraded fire retardant material on all the windows and is currently in the process of fitting 'half-an hour fire doors' throughout the building.
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Nicola Fletcher, 39, lives on the fifth floor of the tower block with her young children Harrison, seven, and Caitlyn, two.
She praised the work of the council in dealing with residents' concerns and helping to make her family feel safe.
Ms Fletcher said: 'I do feel safer – the council are definitely making a lot of good improvements to the building.
'They have moved the bikes downstairs and there is a lot more easy access.
'The council has been very helpful. Last week the lift broke and they came out and fixed it within an hour.
'They are very quick on the flats.'
She added: 'I feel safe in my home and it is safe for the children as well, all the windows have been fitted with child-proof locks.'
The WDC spokesman said: 'We are pleased that we have a strong day-to-day relationship with the residents of St Peters Court and they have expressed their satisfaction with our efforts to continually improve and upgrade the building's safety measures.
'Safety is our number one priority for our tenants and these efforts will always be ongoing.'
