Barton House: Cost of emergency evacuation rises to £5.3m

The cost of the emergency evacuation of a tower block in Bristol has risen to £5.3million, it has been revealed.

More than 250 people living in Barton House, on Barton Hill, were evacuated on 14 November due to safety concerns with the building.

Bristol City Council has been carrying out repairs on the 14-storey block and has told residents they will be able to move back from 23 February.

The additional spending is to cover the cost of extending the council's contract with Holiday Inn, the city centre hotel where most residents have been staying while away from their homes, the council has said.

The authority declared a major incident after surveys suggested the building could collapse if there was a fire or explosion.

A subsequent report revealed the issues were only present in some parts of the building, and that residents would be able to return to their homes once essential safety work was completed.

This includes installing a new fire alarm system, additional fireproofing in 42 flats and testing the water for legionella bacteria.

Holiday Inn was block-booked until the end of January, with the council paying for accommodation, meals, car parking, laundry, security and any damage to the hotel in Bond Street.

That contract has now been extended and funding for the required work to Barton House approved, following an urgent officer decision by the executive director of growth and regeneration to spend an extra £ 2.6 million on top of the £ 2.7 million previously agreed by the chief executive in November.

The council said the repair work is scheduled to be completed by 23 February.

“The existing contract with the Holiday Inn runs until the end of January and therefore needs to be extended," it said.

“This decision will enable the Council to continue to support residents in alternative temporary accommodation until the works above have been completed and the block is safe for residents to return.”

It added there was no provision in the authority’s budget for the spending and that it would have to be found by reprioritising its housing projects.

Credit: Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service.